At the Orbital Spaceport of Rostov II, a majestic Inquisition Black Ship docked at its berth on the Orbital Ring.
Alex walked out from the massive hull of the Inquisition Black Ship along the connecting passage, stepping onto the cold metal deck of the Rostov main star's Orbital Ring Spaceport area.
The scent of gunpowder from the Broken Tooth Star System seemed to still linger deep in his consciousness, but the bustling and orderly scene of the Orbital Ring Spaceport immediately filled his vision: colossal mechanical arms were loading and unloading cargo, and shuttles were precisely taking off and landing on designated flight paths.
The air was filled with the familiar smell of oil, promethium fuel, and ozone, a mixture that instantly pulled him back to the power core of the Sub-Sector.
He did not linger.
A specially modified shuttle with thickened armor was already waiting at an adjacent dedicated berth.
Once inside the shuttle, Alex immediately began to review the report summary from the Forge World of Rostov III.
It contained the latest progress on the psyker titan research project, overseen by Archmagos Cawl.
On his personal data-slate, Cawl's report data stream scrolled steadily.
His wording, as always, was imbued with fervent praise for the god of machines and reverence for the mysteries of the divine machine, but the report also clearly highlighted several key breakthroughs, especially in the optimization of rune energy channeling and the efficiency of Psyker-Princeps neural synchronization.
"Hathor," Alex connected to the encrypted channel, and Hathor's figure immediately appeared in the holographic projection.
She was on the bridge of the Gabbro, dressed in an administrative secretary uniform, but her upright posture and light golden eyes naturally exuded the commanding presence of a Commander seasoned by battle.
"Governor," Hathor nodded slightly.
"I have arrived at Rostov II," Alex's voice was steady, "The subsequent purification and resource recovery of the Broken Tooth Star System, as well as the specific execution of the Legion reorganization, require your command.
Proceed according to the framework we previously agreed upon.
Time is pressing; the Ash Knights must quickly transform into an iron fist capable of exerting Legion-level power in the new era of warfare.
The problems exposed by the 'Quenching Plan' must be thoroughly resolved in this adjustment."
"Understood," Hathor nodded slightly, a hint of understanding for the heavy burden on Alex's shoulders flashing in her light golden eyes.
Her voice carried a weighty sense of responsibility: "The soul of the Legion shall be rekindled; I will handle matters concerning the Ash Knights."
The over-establishment and effective Legion-level reorganization of the Ash Knights was already a consensus reached by the two of them.
It was most fitting for her, a Commander with a special status and extensive experience, to oversee its specific execution.
"Keep in touch," Alex closed the communication.
The shuttle's engines let out a low growl, steadily detaching from the berth, merging into the busy traffic flow of the Orbital Ring Spaceport, and soaring out of the immense shadow of the Orbital Ring into the deep void of the Rostov System.
After a brief period of normal flight, accompanied by the low hum of tearing space and the blue light of the protective field activating, the shuttle initiated its Warp jump engines, instantly plunging into the surging Warp rift, speeding towards the Forge World of Rostov III—a star-like body resembling a giant mechanical beehive.
—
Rostov III Forge World, Deep Forging Factory, psyker titan Research Station Core Area.
The air, mixed with the scent of burning promethium, ozone, and suspended metallic particles, exuded a unique aroma of an industrial sanctuary.
The heavy adamantium gate silently slid open, and Alex stepped into the core area amidst the heavy footsteps of the Skitarii and the vigilant red light scans of the combat servitor skulls.
This place was more like a research sanctuary that paradoxically unified efficient operation with ancient mysteries, rather than a traditional temple.
The low binary chanting was not prayer, but a continuous stream of data transmission, like an eternally echoing background noise.
Countless servitor skulls, like a precise swarm, flew around the towering War Master-Class psyker titan, their probing beams leaving fleeting trails on the Titan's ethereal blue runic armor; each scan was a digital pilgrimage to the sacred creation.
The colossal space was segmented by temporarily erected metal scaffolding and crisscrossing thick energy conduits and data cables, enveloping the research subject like a steel jungle.
The air was filled with multi-layered hums: the low-frequency roar of giant analysis arrays, the continuous hum of energy stabilizers, the subtle ticking of precision sensors, and the gurgling sound of coolant flowing through pipes.
These sounds intertwined into a symphony of research.
Archmagos Cawl and Sage Olegana were already waiting at the entrance.
Cawl's mechanical eye gleamed with excited red light, and several mechanical tendrils danced rapidly like a conductor over a suspended data-slate, retrieving vast amounts of information.
Olegana, on the other hand, appeared more serene and introverted; her mechanical eye constantly adjusted its focus, rapidly capturing environmental parameters.
When she saw Alex, her optical lens flickered slightly.
"Governor, welcome to the research frontier," Cawl's synthesized voice was filled with the fervor of a technological explorer, his religious fanaticism for the god of machines transformed into a desire for pure knowledge.
He led Alex towards the core observation platform—a command island surrounded by a waterfall of real-time data streams and complex holographic projections.
The center of the projection clearly showed highlighted areas on the Titan's ankles, knees, and parts of its torso armor, with complex energy flow diagrams and runic structure analysis models constantly refreshing and calculating on the light screen.
"How is the progress, Archmagos, Sage Olegana?" Alex's gaze swept over the runic arrays on the Titan's armor, which flowed with ethereal blue energy, appearing faintly, like living circuits.
Finally, his gaze fell on Olegana, with a questioning look reserved for friends.
"The results are significant, Governor!" Cawl's synthesized voice suddenly rose, revealing an uncontrollable excitement.
He quickly projected denser data streams and analysis models.
"After continuous deep scanning and analysis, combined with cross-referencing ancient Martian databases—especially fragmented records concerning the Omens Assembly—we have achieved a critical breakthrough in understanding the core operational mechanism of the Ciricrux Anima device!" Sage Olegana's electronic voice calmly added, her fingers precisely manipulating the holographic table, magnifying a set of runic structures located on the inner side of the Titan's knee joint to the extreme: "Analysis confirms that the core of this device lies in the soul energy of bound Psykers, guided, focused, and amplified by the 'Untouchable' Princeps as a pure channel of will.
Its energy conversion efficiency far exceeds any existing Imperial Psyker amplification technology.
Especially the topological structure of its runic array, which exhibits extremely high information density and nearly perfect energy channeling characteristics.
The energy resonance patterns of some key nodes challenge our cognitive models of existing physical laws, strongly pointing towards lost Dark Age technology, but we have initially reverse-engineered its basic energy circuit framework."
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