Chapter 39: The Advantages of "International Production"
"So there are no Promethium reserves on Teyedan?" Omega asked, frowning.
"It's not that there are none. There are, but they're in the hands of the Temple and the Archmagos. The 'wild Promethium' you're looking for doesn't exist."
"The Promethium refineries are on the gas giants in the adjacent systems. We use geothermal energy here."
"I know that. But the Promethium we're using now, didn't we find it in the factories?" Omega said.
Jacob threw up his hands. "That Promethium is for testing newly manufactured vehicles. It's not on the same scale as the amount you need."
Omega thought with resignation, Alright, at worst, I'll just be like a squirrel and slowly hoard it, factory by factory. As long as we have enough for a critical moment, it should be fine. We're not planning a protracted war anyway.
"What about aerial vehicles?"
Louis smiled bitterly. "The nearest ones are over a thousand kilometers away. I don't think the Temple and the Archmagos would have overlooked them."
Omega: "..."
"There are plenty of ground vehicles like Chimeras and Leman Russ tanks in the warehouses, though," Aedus added. "After all, this industrial district was originally responsible for producing equipment for the Astra Militarum."
Hearing this, Omega rolled his eyes. What's the difference between having a vehicle with no fuel and having no vehicle at all?
After half an hour of discussion that yielded absolutely nothing, an frustrated Omega found a deserted place to vent by shooting at rocks. This time, he didn't use his exosuit. He took out his "master-crafted flashlight"—the Lucius Pattern 98 Lasgun—and began to play with it.
"What century is this?! We've miniaturized atomic energy to the size of a thumbnail, we have cold fusion, and we're still messing around with fossil fuels! What are you trying to pull?! Take this!" Omega vented his frustration by unleashing a barrage of fire at a rock a few hundred meters away.
Though he was complaining, it was just that—complaining. He wouldn't dare to put an atomic engine in these low-end war machines. They were "thin-skinned and packed with filling"; he'd blow up his own men before he killed the enemy. Besides, he was just a "little priest." He wouldn't dare to modify these vehicles, even if you gave him two sets of guts. Otherwise, he'd surely be branded a "heretek."
The weapons and equipment of the Imperium were all built according to the "Standard Template Constructs (STCs)" designed during humanity's Golden Age of colonization. These STC technologies were designed to provide human colonies with technology that could withstand the harsh environments of the galaxy. Therefore, STC designs were large, tough, difficult to damage, reliable, and easy to repair, and they provided a high level of standardization from one machine to another. They could operate in any environment, with simplicity and efficiency being key considerations, outweighing form.
Even in the 42nd Millennium, many vehicles derived from STC systems still reflect this. They are massive, crude, but extremely sturdy and reliable. After ten thousand years of warfare, the reliability and excellence of the original designs have been proven time and again.
STC: Twenty or thirty thousand years ago, I could make xenos scream. Now, even with a limp, I can still make them call me daddy!
As followers of the Machine God, the Adeptus Mechanicus venerates all of humanity's ancient technology, believing it to be the sacred knowledge bestowed upon humanity by the Omnissiah. Therefore, Tech-Priests are particularly enthusiastic about recovering these long-lost technological secrets from worlds scattered across the galaxy—"archeology" of ancient ruins.
Tech-Priests: A lifetime of research doesn't yield as much as a single good dig. If it were you, you'd dig too!
Precisely because this ancient knowledge is a gift from the Omnissiah—otherwise, how could there have been a Golden Age of humanity?—the Adeptus Mechanicus treats this technology and its artifacts like religious relics. The Mechanicus believes that all things designed with STCs reflect the will and divinity of the Machine God—whose ultimate avatar is the Emperor himself (the Omnissiah). Therefore, in the eyes of the Mechanicus, any alteration to an STC design is a heretical act, a challenge to the will of the Machine God and the Emperor, something unimaginable to any loyal servant of the Imperium.
Omega's thought: The Imperium rules the universe through "loyalty." All pure humans must be loyal to the Emperor.
(The Emperor: Who are you being sarcastic about, you little brat?!)
Veneration of the ancient was one reason. Another was that there were too many clever clogs among the cog-heads. No one knew what these "geniuses" were adding to their innovations. For example, a certain Archmagos with the surname C...
Few normal cog-heads were willing to go through the official Mars approval process. As a result, there were many technologically advanced "three-no products" in the Imperium—no inventor, no place of origin, no production license (approved by Mars).
A certain Archmagos with the surname C: Young man, not everyone has the number one guy in the Imperium backing them.
"Take this!"
"And this!"
"And another!"
As another power pack was depleted, Omega's frustration had mostly been vented. He skillfully replaced the pack and looked at the lasgun in his hands, muttering to himself, "Why can't I just modify it however I want, like a lasgun? What's so advanced about a vehicle? Is it just the multi-fuel engine that can burn anything? An energy conversion rate of nearly 100%? The technology in a lasgun power pack is pretty advanced too, you know!"
"Lasgun power pack..."
"Power pack!"
"Hmm!"
Omega had an epiphany. Inventing a completely new technological artifact from scratch was fraught with problems. But what if he just cobbled together existing technologies? There would be no problem then!
Question: This vehicle is suspected of being heretical!
Answer: Which part of this vehicle was not produced according to the sacred knowledge of the Omnissiah? Your multi-fuel engine is sacred, but my lasgun power pack and electric engine are not?
Rhea, Jacob, and the others waited anxiously outside Omega's lab. He had been locked inside for five days. They hadn't broken in because a Tech-Priest's private laboratory was their most sacred space. Entering without permission was a grave offense.
"What is Omega doing in there?" Rhea asked, worried.
"I don't know," Jacob replied. "Before he went in, he said that unless the enemy was at the gates, no one was to disturb him."
"I've had the soldiers cordon off the area and forbid anyone from approaching," Louis said in a low voice. "Whatever Omega is doing in there, no one but us will know!"
"Are you worried..."
"Who isn't? Does anyone here doubt that Omega is capable of it?"
"..."
"When he comes out, you all stop his creation from being seen by others immediately. I'll go and get my father to come alone!" Rhea, having no confidence in her ability to restrain Omega, decided to bring out the one person he feared most: Magos Laust. She was genuinely afraid that Omega would drive his "heretical" vehicle out onto the street for other priests to see.
Jacob paced back and forth. "Talent is sometimes like a curse. It curses everyone who possesses it."
Aedus sighed. "We've put too much on him. Omega has shouldered too much pressure that he shouldn't have to."
"So we have to help him when he needs it, counsel him, stop him, protect him!"
"Yes."
"As it should be."
"Indeed."
"I have the tranquilizer darts with me."
"..."
While they were discussing how to "protect" Omega from making a mistake, the lab door hissed open. A Chimera armored vehicle slowly rolled out.
Phew...
Rhea and Jacob breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the Chimera's unmodified exterior. But just to be safe, Paul, Louis, and Aedus quickly moved to block its path. Jacob and Rhea approached the driver's compartment and peered through the observation slit.
No one! There was no driver in this Chimera! Omega, you've finally crossed the red line you shouldn't have! Jacob began to regret explaining the mysteries of the "Machine Spirit" to Omega. He had repeatedly emphasized the taboos, so why had he still broken them? His face darkened, and he signaled to Rhea and the others to proceed with the plan. He then turned and shouted into the lab, "Omega, come out! I have some..."
"Hey! Jacob, that's very rude!" Omega's voice came from inside the Chimera's driver's compartment.
Oh. So there was a driver. He was just too short to be seen.
The misunderstanding was a bit awkward, but they didn't let their guard down. They all piled into the back of the Chimera and began to inspect it. No changes! How could there be no changes at all? But there was a strange sense of wrongness.
Omega saw what they were trying to do. He said nothing, just watched as Rhea and Jacob touched and examined every part of the vehicle. What was this feeling of wrongness? As a Rune Priest responsible for blessings, Jacob was more familiar with the Chimera than anyone. He was sure something was wrong with this one, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Jacob, have you figured out what's wrong?" Louis whispered in his ear.
"Not yet... wait! Why is this Chimera so quiet?!" Jacob exclaimed.
Omega burst out laughing. "You finally noticed!"
"Omega, what did you do to this Chimera?!"
"Nothing much," Omega replied truthfully. "I just converted it to electric."
"Electric? Omega, don't you know..."
"The same liquid metal power cell as a lasgun power pack," Omega said.
"Ah? You..."
"A universal electric engine," Omega continued. "Extremely high energy conversion efficiency, stable operation in all extreme environments, and can be produced in various sizes without changing the mechanism."
"This..."
Sitting in the armored vehicle, Jacob and the others looked at the smug Omega driving down the road, a little dumbfounded. They now felt that this little sly-fox was even more sly than they had imagined. So sly that they now wanted to beat him up.
But they restrained themselves, because Omega was now on his way to show off to Magos Laust. They felt that this was a beating they didn't need to deliver themselves.