Chapter 13: Restoration, Fabrication, Simulation
My schedule has changed again after my uncovering of the Teleportarium. I spoke with Master Doll going over my findings and my theory about the room being designed as a funnel and hostile teleportation trap.
Discovering the Teleportarium clears up the largest discrepancy in my map. My Sky Eye and C.A.T. are still going out to explore the ship and search for more areas that deviate from the current map.
Today however I am going to visit the Manufactorum. My new schedule has allotted several hours of time with Master Doll. I have also been assigned a few hours of simulation time in the Pilot Chambers. I still have a block of time for personal time which I can use for exploration, weapons training or anything else.
Master Doll delegated out the refurbishing of the Teleportarium's defenses and wanted the room in top shape before we risk fully powering the platform and testing it.
The Teleportarium was also being cleaned. Most of the objects inside were being scrapped and what few things that are salvageable are being moved out of the area. Doll had the remains of the Thanatar Automata moved to his bay in the Manufactorum.
The guards at the upper deck entrance to the Manufactorum let me in without any issue. Calling the space I step into a Manufactorum seems lacking almost immediately. The sprawling complex spread over multiple decks is massive. I stop at a railing and look down at the various well cordoned forge sections. It looks like someone took an entire forge complex in full capacity and carefully stuffed the entire thing into a voidship.
I check the location where I am supposed to meet Master Doll and begin making my way through. I spot massive ceramite plates being manufactured, and another of the production facilities is spitting out crate after crate of bolt ammunition.
Much to my surprise the loud sounds of the forges fade away as I enter a secluded spot in the center of the module that reminds me of a large mechanics garage.
"Welcome, Nicole, to my personal forge. For the next few weeks it will also serve as your forge." Doll looks more relaxed than usual and seems to be in high spirits as he turns to greet me.
"Master Doll, this forge complex is simply wondrous. The sheer breadth and depth of facilities and tools present is well beyond the statistics of other vessels."
"If the plasma drive is the heart then this forge complex is the home of the Mechanicus aboard the Argent Drake. We are here however to discuss your future projects, Nicole. You have expressed interest in several potential projects and I have a few that you are not aware of as well."
I nod eagerly "Yes I am torn between tackling a larger project from the start or starting small to build on my foundations."
"Both methods have merits. Let me first outline the options. We have the Thanatar Siege Automata, they are more of a salvage effort but I do not doubt we will need to make replacement parts. Next was the Alatus-Pattern Jump Pack you mentioned before. I have the schematics for several that have been previously produced, this would be a custom project building it from scratch. I do not doubt you would add your own unique flair to the design. There is also the Weapon MIU system you inquired about last week. Another custom project but one not quite as overwhelming. Lastly we have the repair and refurbishment of a Throne Mechanicum for a Cerastus Knight-Castigator."
I freeze in place as several things click into place at the mention of the last option. "You have a Knight!?"
"The internal frame, weapons, and power core for one. The Throne needs to be replaced as do most of the armor and subsystems." He says with an amused tone.
"That is why you're making me practice my piloting and vehicle handling. You want me to pilot the Knight."
"We do." Doll says as he directs a servo skull to tend to one of the crucibles.
"But why?" I ask softly.
"One, we do not have any other suitable pilots. Two, the position would include an elevation in your rank that would allot you certain privileges when we enter into contact with other Imperial factions."
"A Princeps." I squeak out my voice cracking a little "You're going to give me the title of Princeps!?"
Archmagos Doll stands there looking pleased and a little smug as he teases me "Perhaps. Now what are your thoughts on the various projects?"
"Ugh! That's so mean, Master Doll! Dangling that in front of me." I chew on my bottom lip while mulling over the options.
"The Throne is a bit too daunting for a first project even with your help. The jump pack would be great for learning the steps of manufacturing and tailoring an item from scratch, but the parts involved are a lot more sensitive than the MIU since it directly interfaces with my Potentia Coil. Repairing the automata would be a good starter project to get a feel for fabrication, but it's not the most pressing."
Doll nods along silently clasping his hands behind his back as he waits patiently.
"Would you want one of the Automata? As the individual who discovered their remains you have a claim." He asks me but I feel like it's a trick question.
"I don't really see why I would need a Siege Automata, Master Doll. I assume you would take them once repaired and store them with the rest of our Automata. They're rather large. If it was a smaller variant, perhaps I might request one for myself but these are best directed by yourself or one of the other Magi. It seems selfish to ask for one when you are offering to prepare a Knight for me. We all serve the interests of the Omnissiah."
"Well said, Nicole." Master Doll sounds extremely pleased by my response. "Let us get started with the repair of the automata. I will walk you through the forging process and use the multitude of production options at our disposal here within my forge when we find parts that require such efforts. I encourage you to ask questions as you see fit. Come. Bring your tools."
Master Doll and I spend the first day in the forge stripping the entire maniple of Thanatars of all usable parts. Out of the maniple we estimate we only have enough parts to fix two of them, and that was the generous estimate. One of the units we can fix for sure is the Calix model lead unit with the Graviton Ram and Sollex Heavy-Lascannon. The second Cavas model unit with the Shock Chargers and Plasma Mortar. Thankfully we have enough parts for each unit to still get the twin-linked Mauler Bolt Cannon too.
The size of the units is rather daunting up close once I really get to see them. I could take a bath and totally submerge myself within the barrel of the Plasma Mortar. Just the forearm and hand are longer together than I am tall. When standing I could walk between the legs and not touch the top of my head to the lower torso.
"Master Doll, these automata are absurd. The priests of Sollex and Ryza certainly do not do things by halves." I had to just stand there and watch as Master Doll used a ceiling mounted crane to move the salvageable Heavy-Lascannon and Mortar once we detached them.
"This is enough for today. I'll have these parts cleaned, sterilized and properly electroplated." Doll says as he disconnects the feed belt from one of the bolters and set it aside. "We can work on reconstructing the base frames and installing the reactors tomorrow. You are slated for your first session in the pilot chambers full dive simulator."
"Yes sir! This was an enlightening experience. I shall look forward to making further progress tomorrow." I make the sign of the cog and bow to Doll.
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Getting to the Pilot Chamber isn't particularly difficult, it is however a bit of a walk and before I leave I have to call for my protection detail to come escort me. They aren't needed inside the Munitorum but in the rest of the ship they are supposed to accompany me.
The Pilot Chambers are an interesting mix of both private virtual training area and public bar and hang out area for the various pilots, there's even a small chapel on the social side.
While all of that is interesting I am here to use the sensoria system suites not socialize.
I slip inside an empty suite and find a bucket style chair with a slew of MIU connector lines.
I take off my robe and hang it up on a nearby hook. Holding my hair out of the way I grasp the largest of the connectors and slide it into my neck port with a faint hiss.
I quickly connect to the system and discover an interesting little quirk of these chambers. They have leaderboards for performance on various preset simulations. Most of the pilots use their call sign rather than their full name. Though there is an option to use your full name and rank.
The call signs are a minimum of four characters. I mull it over before entering mine. I let out a faint giggle as I decide to be a little cheeky with my new moniker "PriN"
Once I was in the system I examined the list before me. They had a truly staggering number of scenarios listed. Some had variable vehicles and some were restricted to a specific craft. The majority with the most recorded simulations were obviously for the strike craft pilots but there were ground based options as well. None of the scenarios allowed for the piloting of knights or titans which made sense since those requirements were incredibly strict.
I opted to start with a short and simple ground based scenario. Piloting a Sentinel Scout Walker, the Warhammer 40k equivalent of an open top AT-ST from Star Wars.
Piloting a walker when linked with an MIU was an unusual experience especially when the chair I was plugged into started moving in time with the simulated movements.
The goal of the simulation was to simply get from point A to point B. I had to cross a small river, steep slopes and navigate across a bridge. I got to practice firing the multi-laser which did take a few attempts to get used to.
I move immediately into a slightly longer scenario piloting a Leman Russ in a combat scenario as the driver against Orks.
Not being in full control of the vehicle is a struggle, having to follow orders from the commander while not being able to fire the weapons feels stifling. I have multiple resets but thankfully there is a checkpoint system.
The end of the tank scenario leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. My performance was poor and I needed a change of pace. So I swap to one of the more popular piloting missions.
Scenario O45C-T
Destroy the target as swiftly as possible.
Time limit: 30:00
Threat level: Terminus Maxima.
You may choose from any of the listed vehicles and loadouts.
Time begins when you finish your selection and launch from the ship.
Target is highlighted on the planetary map.
I have full access to every strike craft on the ship. Fury Interceptor, Lightning Strike Fighter, Calixis Pattern Starhawk Bomber, Marauder Bomber, Shark Assault boat, Thunderbolt Heavy Fighter, Arvus Lighter, Aquila Lander, even a Thunderhawk Gunship.
The list of possible equipment is also extensive, allowing for diverse customizations of weaponry and all manner of bombs, missiles and more.
There is something that sticks out to me about this scenario. The threat level and criteria for passing. I scroll through the options until I find what I am looking for in the cargo options.
"That can't be it… can it?"
I select the Arvus Lighter, make my equipment choice, and start the scenario.
Flying is quite fun even if all I end up doing is adjusting my heading directly towards the target and flooring the accelerator. Warning lights and alarms blare in the cockpit as I hit the planet's upper atmosphere. The heat shielding of the Arvus keeps me from melting as I push the engines up to the redline threshold.
I barely notice when I break the low cloud cover as I scream through the sky like a missile at the target location. It looks to be some kind of hive city but I don't really get a chance to look at it as seconds after it enters my field of view my hypersonic cargo craft slams into the highlighted spire and the atomic warhead in my cargo hold goes off on impact.
I blink and find myself back at the selection screen.
PriN: Clear: 1:36 New Record!
"Ha! It worked!" I lean back and enjoy the feeling of finding the clever answer to that scenario.
That scenario was a bit odd. I figure most pilots won't know the Ordo Calixis threat designation scale. Minima, Minoris, Majoris, Extremis, and Terminus. Terminus is a threat worth considering Exterminatus-eliminate with extreme prejudice. However the scenario barred me from using the weapons of the ship in orbit to bombard the city. The only criteria for passing was to eliminate the target as quickly as possible. The Arvus was not the fastest option, but it could clear the atmosphere at a higher speed than the others. The Arvus is also one of only three craft that could hold the atomic payload tucked away in the corners of the gear section.
"That was fun. I wonder if there are any more of those kinds of scenarios tucked away in here." I muse as I play around with the various fliers in other scenarios for the next few hours before retiring for the evening.
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Location: Pilot chambers, the next morning.
"Ace you gotta come look at this. Someone's broken a record."
"Was it another Astartes? You know comparing yourself to their pilots isn't fair most of the time." Ace Grenada, son of the current Master Helmsman Lucius said as he shook his head.
"No it's not them they all use that same call sign format this one is new. No rank or name listed, just a call sign."
"Which scenario did they clear?" Ace asked as he took a long draw from his morning recaf.
"O45C-T" the excited pilot stated.
"Oh? What'd they get?"
"One minute thirty six seconds!"
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Ace abruptly coughed violently and nearly spat hot recaf at the pilot. "What the frak?!" He got up and made a beeline for the large screen they used to show the leaderboards.
Several other pilots were already there staring at the screen with confusion. "That's gotta be a joke right?" One of them muttered without looking away.
O45C-T Full Clears
PriN: 1:36 New Record!
AceGren: 10:52
Eagle1: 10:59
Brother Lazetor Gelis: 11:00
Cougar: 11:11
Whiplash: 11:12
Ace stared at the screen for a long while "Who the frak is Prin?"
O22F-M Full Clears
PriN: 14:45 New Record!
AceGren: 16:16
Brother Lazetor Gelis: 16:18
Brother Tayn Arakim: 16:18
Eagle1: 16:50
"Hey, do any of you know this Prin? Were they someone from the Astartes ship? One of the Thawed?" Ace asked, he desperately wanted to know how they cleared the first scenario so quickly.
"No." "Never heard of them." "I don't think so." "The new pilots have their call signs documented."
"Well keep an eye out. If they're as good as they look, we should ask them for some advice on those scenarios. Figure out what we missed." Ace quickly chugs the rest of his recaf and makes a beeline for one of the simulators.
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POV: Nicole
I settle into a routine as things thankfully have calmed down somewhat. The Argent Drake has filled up on plasma and has started the month-long haul to the nearest Imperial planet. The two support ships are going back to fill up their own stores before rejoining the ArgentDrake.
Master Doll must have mentioned what we were doing to the other Magi because when I arrive for the second day Mech-Lord Zephyr is present and insists on participating in the rebuilding of the automata.
With help from Zephyr and a small army of Tech Priests handling miscellaneous work like painting the armor pieces it only takes us three days to fully rebuild the two units.
Activating the automata is an exciting affair that many of the Divisio Cybernetica come to attend. Archmagos Doll has the honor of engaging the Rite of Awakening with myself and Mech-Lord Xephyr assisting.
I can feel the machine spirits of the automata rousing as the ritual draws to its conclusion. The internal systems power on one after another until finally the machines in tandem stand upright and let out a short blast from their war horns.
Controlling the advanced automata requires a lot more skill than I expected. Watching how Doll and Xephyr do so is enlightening.
Xephyr gets permission from Doll to take them to the firing range to ensure the weapons are functioning properly. However, Doll and I remain behind after he leaves.
"Nicole, I think your efforts here proved quite fruitful. The restoration of those two grand automata is no small thing. Xephyr and his Tech Priests of the Cybernetica will be studying them for some time. You however have a decision to make. Which project from your list is next?" Doll asks me as I take a deep breath.
"I knew you were going to ask that Master Doll. I think… I would like to try designing and fabricating the Weapon MIU system."
"Oh? Tell me more." He gently pushes me to continue.
"I want the system to be subtle, preferably lightweight. I am envisioning a pair of arms that fold out and rest on or just over the shoulder. Capable of holding a pistol class weapon or a compact basic weapon. When not in use they would collapse and remain out of sight along my back. I can sync them with spinal ports four or six." I explain to try and articulate what I want.
"Such thin arms won't be very heavily armored, the servos may be vulnerable to trauma or damage." Doll counters forcing me to explain my reasoning. "There are reasons why Mechadendrites are so common amongst us." Doll brings one of his weapon dendrites around for me to examine.
"I will want them to be made out of a durable alloy however if they are taking damage that means my back is exposed. I don't need the full articulation of a full dendrite, they're meant to serve as a reactionary weapon. Though a full dendrite would be considerably more versatile it's also more resource intensive."
"Let us take some measurements and get to designing." Doll states as he pulls out a laser scanner.
Doll pokes and probes at weaknesses in all of my designs, his experienced critical eye always providing counterpoints and new considerations. He even has me take into account the space that would be occupied in the future by my jump pack. Doll intentionally gets me off track discussing other problems and theoretical issues several times throughout our discussion.
We break for tea and to watch the recordings of the Thallax test firing their weapons, which was extremely entertaining to watch. It is also a bit daunting when I consider that there exist foes out there for which such weapons are considered insufficient.
"Master Doll, is it strange that the display we just watched makes me feel humbled?" I ask him, my tone soft and demure.
"No, that is a common and acceptable response to witnessing the wonders of the Omnissiah. It is when you grow jealous and spiteful that there is a reason for concern. There are countless wonders from the Dark Age of Technology that we no longer understand. To compare yourselves to the ancient masters is the path of folly. Instead you should focus on what you can accomplish." Doll states as he gestures around the forge. "You will be surprised what wonders you can create with your own two hands."
"So, is there a reason I shouldn't just use the basic shoulder mount for the weapon MIU rather than trying to come up with a custom mechadendrite?" I ask as I start thinking about the past few hours of discussion.
"Not particularly, no." Doll admits and I almost fall out of my chair.
I give the Archmagos an exasperated look "Then why did you drag out our chat for so long?!"
"To examine your thought processes and problem solving of course. When I presented you with a problem in the design you did not shirk away or try to argue that the flaw wasn't present. Instead you directly targeted the issue and sought solutions, some simple, others creative and novel." Doll stood from his seated position and went to a shelf to collect something "There is a power in simplicity that we fabricators sometimes forget."
Doll held out the object to me, a simple standard shoulder mounting for a weapon MIU interface, placing it in my hands.
"Instead of starting from scratch, we can use this as a base and customize it. My own master, who taught me the art of the Fabricator, once gave me a similar issue and it took me three days to figure out what he wanted me to comprehend. It only took you four hours and a tea break." Doll
"Well, my teacher is rather talented." I say with a small smile.
"So, what materials do you think you should use and what modifications do you require?" Doll asks as he brings me over to one of the part scanners.
"Plasteel should be more than sufficient, I want it durable but it doesn't need to be adamantine, that feels like a waste. Unlike the jump pack, which will require adamantine for the wings and primary casing at the minimum. I'll need to upgrade it slightly so it can adjust to fit the various pistols I plan to slot in. It needs to be tall enough to not hinder reloading but stable." I state as I look over the item in front of me. It is a remarkably simple piece of equipment once you take a closer look at it.
"Nicole, how has your time so far in the simulators been?" Doll asks me as we both go through the simple steps of preparing the metal pieces, actuators and cables we are going to use to make the shoulder mount.
"It's been good for the most part. I did find that I dislike the simulations where I am not in full control of the vehicles. The ones where I have full control have been great. The simulations are incredibly detailed and all the different vehicles have responded well to me." I take a scan of my right shoulder and overlay it on a holotable making adjustments to the 3D rendering.
"I have heard you managed to do exceptionally well in some of them." Doll uses one of his dendrites to start crimping the metal to fit the smaller 3D shape.
"Some of the simulations aren't skill based, they are more decision based. I think one is meant to teach the pilots about recognizing threat designations but it doesn't do the best job of explaining that you just need to remove the threat. Your survival is not a priority in that simulation. I know it's a simulation and because of that I might have gone a bit further than the designer intended." I admit with a shrug.
"What did you do?" Doll asks as he brings over some plasteel rods.
"Rammed the enemy with an Arvus Lighter while carrying an Atomic weapon fitted with an impact detonator."
Doll actually pauses to turn his head and stares at me. "Please refrain from attempting such a thing outside of simulations."
"Yes, Master Doll. I value my continued existence. I was mostly testing if the simulation would let me and count it. It did. The simulated missions where skill and proper decision making are paramount are probably my favorites." I state with a shrug.
"Nicole, I feel like you do not fully understand your value. I will be clear. You are machine touched, a living relic, and your sire was a princeps of a Warlord titan. I do not doubt you will soon be a princeps and will likely exceed his capabilities. Any one of those designations would make you a treasure to the Mechanicus. You are all three and possibly more. I do not exaggerate when I say we would BURN WORLDS to ensure you returned to us." Doll states it with such intensity that I shrink in on myself somewhat.
"That seems so excessive." I whisper, avoiding Doll's gaze.
"I assure you it is not." He says as he leans back and sighs.
"Well it's not like we have a titan right now anyway. Could the Argent Drake even carry a titan?" I ask seeking to change the subject.
"It actually could. It would take some modifications to vehicle storage but it is quite feasible. We could hold and deploy an Emperor Titan of either class if we had access to one." He states casually as he sets the finished part down on his side.
"Aesthetically I think like the Warlord best. The Emperor classes are just so… so much. The Warlord, Warbringer and some of the Reaver variants and even the Knight Castellan just have a look that feels… heavy yet refined." I admit as I start to piece together the mounting device.
"You said it was a Cerastus Knight-Castigator?" I poke the table to bring up a holo display of the knight chassis. "It wields a Tempest Warblade and the Castigator-Pattern Bolt Cannon. Do we have the weapons for it?"
"We do." Doll says as he glances at the display. "Like the Throne Mechanicum they need repair but they are in a serviceable state."
As I finish putting together the mount and examine it I frown. I place it on my shoulder and while it fits just fine it feels lacking. I sigh "Master Doll, I think I may need a weapon mechadendrite after all."
"I thought you might." Doll states with a chuckle "Do you want to scrap this mount?"
"Well… The young Lady Drakios is of similar size to myself and has an MIU perhaps she could make use of it? It feels like a waste to scrap it." I admit as I take the mount off and unplug the cable connector from my spine.
"A sensible option. Now let's move on to the options available for your mechadendrite." Doll says barely pausing before he is showing me his own dendrites, examples of various templates. Setting the Weapon MIU interface off to the side of the table.
Our discussion is long and comprehensive but I eventually settle for a knit cable design thicker than the cables of my dendrite blades but thinner than that of my Mechatendril. Master Doll eventually convinces me to include a small internal reservoir and use higher quality metals. The overall design is sleek and elegant so it doesn't look out of place with my other dendrites, though the silver color we managed with a chromium alloy will not perfectly match my current set, it is close enough that no one other than other a member of the Mechanicus running active scans will notice.
"This way you can get some practice manipulating and forging adamantine before either of your next projects." Doll says as he starts to clear off the workspace.
"As you say, Master Doll, I shall look forward to tomorrow's fabrication lessons." I bow politely but my thoughts are a little jumbled after so much technical talk, my implants have been running sim after sim comparing various parts and schematics until I finally settled for one.
"Time to go turn my brain off and just dive a Shadowsword around for an hour or two." I had managed to find a few sims where you fight enemy knights and titans even if I can't practice piloting one in the simulations.
I decide to grab the shoulder mount we made earlier as I leave and drop it off with a Tech Priest heading to the armory on my way. Hopefully Lady Arianwyn likes the gift. I haven't heard from her since our encounter on the observation deck but having a friend my size and apparent age would likely ease the worry of some of my minders.
As I enter the Pilot Chambers I pull up my hood and ignore the odd commotion going on in the common area with the leaderboards. None of the pilots give me a second glance given my Mechanicus robes as I head for one of the unoccupied sim rooms to relax and play around for a few hours.