"No, not subordination, but command," Cawl calmly corrected in his mechanically synthesized voice, his red-glowing bionic eyes rotating slightly, seemingly assessing Alex's reaction.
"This Titan Legion will be stationed at the Mariupol Forge World and will be responsible for defending the Sub-Sector under your jurisdiction," Cawl continued to explain, his metallic appendages waving in the air.
"You will have absolute command over them, free to deploy and direct them in combat—this authority will last until the end of your life, whether by natural death, or... other unforeseen circumstances."
Alex's excitement cooled slightly, but his heart still pounded violently in his chest, and blood seemed to surge through his veins.
This was still an unimaginable deal—an entire Titan Legion, completely at his command!
With this force, he could sweep across the entire Sub-Sector in a short time, completely crushing the Space Necron Dynasty entrenched there!
And after that, this Legion would still pledge allegiance to him, becoming the strongest barrier of the Rostov Sub-Sector.
Even if the Great Rift tore through the galaxy in the future, and the Imperium fell into two hundred years of turmoil and war, this remote frontier Star District could stand firm with the help of this Titan Legion.
After all, this was merely the edge of the Imperium's territory; apart from the Space Necron Dynasty buried deep underground, there was almost nothing that could truly threaten his existence.
As for the Orks awakening in the Kherson system?
As long as they weren't Kroak, crushing them was only a matter of time.
And the price he had to pay was merely a psyker titan—not even a permanent transfer, just temporarily lent to the Adeptus Mechanicus for research.
Although this psyker titan was a super unit he had invested all his current points into after finally reaching Level V authority, and the model was custom-modified by himself, for Alex, this was a worthwhile trade.
"I can agree to the Adeptus Mechanicus researching that Psyker War-Master, but it must remain in the Rostov Sub-Sector—that is my bottom line," Alex pondered for a long time, finally looking up, his voice carrying an undeniable resolve: "In times of crisis, I need this trump card ready at all times."
"This is acceptable!" Cawl's mechanical voice rarely fluctuated, and his optical lenses quickly adjusted their focus: "We can establish research facilities in the Forge World Temple on Rostov III!"
For the Adeptus Mechanicus, the research location was not important; as long as they could get close to this sacred machine, the devout Archmagoss would even consider a journey to the frontier a pilgrimage.
"Also, Archmagos, the Titan Legion you promised must first arrive in Kharkov and stabilize the front line before I will allow the Psyker War-Master to leave the front," Alex stated his second condition, on which he would not make any concessions.
After all, the original intention of deploying this Titan was to solve the troop crisis in Kharkov; withdrawing it now would be tantamount to abandoning all previous efforts.
After all, his purpose in deploying this Psyker War-Master was to resolve the troop deployment issues in the Kharkov campaign; it was impossible to withdraw this Titan now.
Although Cawl strongly opposed this point, he did not continue to argue with Alex about it.
Because doing so would be meaningless; he could see that Alex would never make any concessions or compromises on this matter.
In the eyes of mortal Commanders, the value of the God-Machine lay in its destructive combat power, not in the technological mysteries it contained—while this understanding contradicted the Adeptus Mechanicus's tenets, it was still within tolerable limits.
"Understood, I will coordinate this Titan Legion to come as soon as possible," Cawl quickly agreed to this matter; after all, with his authority as Archmagos, mobilizing a Titan Legion was feasible.
As for assigning a Titan Legion to Alex's command, he did not specify whether it was the Titan Legion being transferred, or other Titan Legions, or even forming a new Legion.
These were all negotiable.
Cawl preferred the latter.
Drawing a few sealed God-Machines from the Adeptus Mechanicus's existing reserves, and coordinating with several secondary Forge Worlds to accelerate production, forming a new Legion was actually more cost-effective for the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Those ancient Titans that had endured hundreds of battles were priceless treasures; in contrast, newly built units were easier to part with.
At this point, Alex finally stated his third and final condition: "Finally, I request that the Titan Legion assigned to my command must have at least three Warhound-class Titans; I need this to ensure the combat effectiveness of this Titan Legion."
Cawl's mechanical vocalizer emitted a slight hum, then calmly responded: "In principle, I agree to this request, although Mars might require some coordination... but these are all negotiable details."
In his mind, these transferred Titans would actually serve as escort forces for that precious Psyker War-Master, so this condition was actually more conducive to protecting the God-Machine's safety.
"It seems we have reached a consensus," Alex's lips finally curved into a satisfied smile.
An entire, complete Titan Legion was about to be brought under his command, far exceeding his initial expectations.
With this steel torrent, the defenses of the Rostov Sub-Sector would be impregnable, not to mention the strategic advantage it could provide after the impending Great Rift opened.
A satisfied hum emanated from beneath Cawl's mechanical mask, his crimson bionic eyes flickering slightly.
Although there were some costs, they were all within acceptable limits—one could even say that Alex's asking price was far below his pre-conceived bottom line.
To gain research access to this precious psyker titan, the Archmagos had already mentally prepared himself to cede a secondary Forge World.
"Agreement reached," Cawl raised his mechanical arm, metallic joints clicking crisply: "I will complete the mobilization of the Titan Legion within one month and report to the Adeptus Mechanicus to apply for the formation of a new Titan Legion for the Rostov Sub-Sector."
Alex nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the agreement terms that had just appeared on the holographic projection.
He noticed that Cawl had specifically used the word "form," which made Alex raise an eyebrow; these Tech-Priests were still as stingy as ever, unwilling to part with those powerful Legions.
However, for now, gaining command of a complete Titan Legion was enough for him to establish a firm foothold in this remote Star District.
"I look forward to our cooperation," Alex extended his hand, and Cawl's bionic limb reached out to grasp it.
Cold metal met warm flesh, symbolizing the finalization of this transaction.
The two exchanged a knowing glance—in this game, both believed they had achieved a satisfactory outcome.
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