Chapter 73: The Joric Doctrine
Although this "Ruststalker-pattern" prototype was, in Joric's eyes, a creation full of compromises and flaws—far from the perfect state of a standard Mechanicus assassin—it was undeniable that, compared to the poorly integrated, high-risk Militech experiment she had been, Moiré's capabilities had undergone a quantum leap.
The most significant improvement was her nervous system.
The Mechanicus-standard neural-webbing Joric had implanted, fused with the high-efficiency logic-protocols he had sanctified from the Rogue AI, had completely replaced her previous, low-grade interfaces. The constant, agonizing spike of neural feedback, like steel needles piercing her nerves, was gone. Her mind was clearer than it had ever been, her control over her new body was flawless, as if a great, crushing weight had been lifted. She had never felt this coordinated, this light, not once during her time with Militech.
Moiré's memories had not been purged. She still remembered her life as a Militech Lieutenant, the brutal training, the bloody missions. But through Joric's deep augmentation, coupled with the new neural-web's constant, subtle release of specific regulatory-pheromones and modulating electrical signals, her psyche had been... reforged. Her former loyalty to Militech was not just erased, but inverted, now anchored with absolute, unshakeable faith to Joric—her Creator, her Master.
Here, Joric's methods differed from those of his former colleagues.
He had not performed a full physical cognitive-purge, nor had he excised her "unnecessary" emotional centers. He had not installed the kind of crude, behavioral-control cogitator that would have stifled all independent thought.
Of course, as a matter of basic prudence, he had embedded several sanctioned override-protocols deep within her central nervous system. If necessary, he could seize direct control of her chassis, dictate her actions, or enforce a specific directive.
But her core autonomy, her reasoning, and her battlefield judgment? Joric had chosen to preserve them.
This was not out of some misplaced respect for "life" or any special regard for Moiré herself.
In Joric's value system, efficiency was the supreme virtue.
He had observed that many of his colleagues in the 41st Millennium possessed a near-paranoid obsession with absolute, rote control. They longed to make every Skitarii tech-guard as mindlessly obedient as a Battle-Automata. To this end, they employed behavioral-control wafers extensively, stripping their soldiers of all autonomy, even micro-managing their every action in battle, reducing them to unthinking, un-adaptive weapons.
Their only "privilege," compared to a common Servitor or Automata, was a limited, and instantly-revocable, freedom of movement.
If these colleagues had possessed brilliant tactical acumen, or at least a baseline competence in warfare, Joric might not have cared. But, as he had observed, the vast majority of them—even the Magos Dominus whose entire function was command—relied on stagnant, rigid tactical-doctrines, based on pre-set data-analysis that lacked true, adaptive battlefield-intuition.
Rigid command, coupled with soldiers whose initiative had been surgically removed, was, in Joric's assessment, a catastrophic waste of resources. The very definition of inefficiency.
For this reason, while Joric also made extensive use of Servitors and Skitarii, he preferred to preserve a measure of autonomy in his tech-guard. He permitted them to make on-the-fly decisions based on battlefield realities, encouraging them to utilize their own tactical specialties.
This practice had been seen as borderline tech-heresy by some of his peers, who argued it led to non-standardized execution and unnecessary risk.
However, in the long-term, macro-level analysis, Joric's cohorts consistently achieved higher mission-success rates. In seemingly hopeless engagements, his autonomous Skitarii would often produce un-calculated, brilliant tactical solutions, yielding results that far exceeded the rigid data-models.
This, he believed, was the far more efficient utilization of the bio-asset.
After the re-consecration, Joric ran a series of baseline performance tests on Moiré.
The results confirmed that, while her absolute defensive-integrity and certain high-end parameters were compromised by the inferior materials, her speed, agility, neural-response time, and the lethality of her new weapon systems were far superior to her previous state. The risk of cyberpsychosis, more importantly, had been wholly purged.
During the tests, Moiré adapted to her new form. She felt the surging power from the micro-fusion reactor in her back flow through her new limbs, and while the energy-loss was still present (a fact that irked Joric), the raw power was beyond anything she had ever known. She felt the Transonic Razors slide, almost silently, from her palms, the air around them shimmering with a deadly, inaudible vibration.
After Joric briefly explained the crew's current situation—and the persistent threat from Militech and Biotechnica—Moiré volunteered.
"Master," her voice, synthesized but clear and firm, emerged from her new vocalizer. "The corporations are hyenas, driven by profit. They covet the power and knowledge you command as hyenas covet fresh meat. But when they discover that to bite this meat means receiving a blade through the throat—that it might shatter their teeth—they will learn to hesitate."
She flicked the Transonic Razor, its vibration distorting the air. "The threat of death, especially precise and indefensible death, is often the most direct method of making them understand that the cost of their greed far exceeds their ability to pay."
Joric, however, was skeptical of simple assassination as a deterrent.
He analyzed her logic calmly. "Your reasoning is... simplistic. For the individual corporate executive, life is precious. But for the vast, collective consciousness of the corporation, the loss of one or two executives, when weighed against the potential gain of paradigm-shifting technology, is merely... acceptable attrition.
"They will replace the dead as they would a worn component, and continue their probing. Mere killing will not make them retreat."
He paused, his crimson optical lenses pulsing steadily as he offered a more complex refinement. "However, if assassination is used as a means of information-delivery, the situation changes.
"By precisely purging one or two executives—those who are high-value, but non-critical—we can transmit a clear message: 'We have the capacity to take any of you, at any time.' This will not be enough to extinguish their greed, but it will be enough to force them to the negotiating table... or, at the very least, force them into a protracted and cautious reassessment before they make their next move."
(End of Chapter)