The Holy Forge world of Mars

The homeworld of the servants of the Omnissiah.

To be permitted to go to its surface was a great honor. It was a fact that the techmarines of many Adeptus Astartes Chapters forgot, thus often for that among many other reasons that they bore the ire of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Another reason was their mostly noncommittal dedication to the Quest for Knowledge, being due to their stronger ties to their battle brothers than that of the Omnissiah. There were a few space marine chapters that did not subscribe to this stereotype such as the Iron hands, the Steel Confessors, and the Blood Ravens.

When the Ark Mechanicus Arizona appeared in close proximity to Holy Forge World, it bore tech priests charged with guardianship of the ancient and revered Mars pattern Baneblade and several of those with the Collegia Titanica, and a dreadnought of a never before seen pattern. While the Ark Mechanicus and the small contingent of tech-priests aboard her 150 km length, fell under the careful scrutiny of many a Mechanicus ship, the dreadnought, discovered to be a Master of the Forge of the Blood Ravens Chapter, was secreted to the surface of Mars under the orders of the Fabricator General of Mars himself.

The Archmagos charged with governing Mars during the Fabricator General's numerous journeys to Terra, had sent a message to the Fabricator General, detailing what the recently-arrived Ark Mechanicus held. The Governor of Mars had left as quickly as he was able to, sending complex instructions back to Mars to make preparations, mainly to throw off the Inquisition which would be examining every vessel from afar looking for suspicious activity. The Fabricator General also noticed that the commotion had brought out the ancient Archmagos Dominus, Belisarius Cawl from either stasis or his hidden laboratories, few being able to tell which.

The other Blood Ravens that were with the dreadnought had elected to report to the Inquisition. Little doubt they would report to the Inquisition about the strange pattern of dreadnought that the Master of the Forge had been interred within which only served to have the Fabricator General expedite the dreadnought being spirited away from the Ark Mechanicus, not just for what he had become but also for what he had brought with him. Several other Archmagos had joined their growing entourage, most of them being the Fabricator general's supporters.

Steam hissed out of the eye sockets of the Opus Machina embedded in the ornate doors as great mechanism clanked and whirred, parting to reveal the form of the techmarine dreadnought.

To say that what they saw before them was a work of art, would be a drastic understatement. What smoothly walked into the chamber could have very well been forged by Omnissiah. All the subtleties of ultra-precise manufacturing were there as was multi-role design of the body from the three arms with articulated fingers to the digitigrade legs with toes. Recessed into its upper chassis in a torso similar to the of an ancient Contemptor-pattern dreadnought, the head resembled the helmet of the techmarine but scaled up to match the proportions of the dreadnought with a large array of optics integrated into the head.

The large right shoulder plate was decorated with the symbolism and artistically-embellished, obsidian raven with a blood red ruby in the middle all on cream-colored ivory. The other two shoulders bore the Opus Machina with a cog of polished steel highlighted with brass, the human side of the skull in ivory while the cyborg half a mixture of silver and copper. Short of those decorations, the hull of the dreadnought, red as the sands of Mars once was, was largely unadorned, a sign of its newness.

With one of it's two left arms, which were by themselves mounted on a large rotating joint allowing the arms to rotate to differing positions as need so one did not interfere with the other, the dreadnought reached into a storage container attached to its back and pulled an exceptionally large book and placed it onto one of three servitors, specifically made to carry volumes as large as the one the dreadnought placed. Soon the other two servitors were occupied by similar books.

The Fabricator General's mechadendrites twitched with anxiety as he reached for the first volume, opening the large metal cover to reveal the first page of gold lettering, in the ancient dialect from the Dark Age of Technology. His augmentics scanned page after page. It definitely was legitimate but the designs were even more thorough in terms of adaptability and modularity. Another surprise came in scalability, the constructs ranging from the dreadnought variation to nearly 80 meters, exceeding that of even the ancient Imperator-class God Machine, what was more, the designs suggested the machines, while capable of supporting armaments of the God Machine, seemed designed to move at considerably greater speeds with great agility.

The first book was the curious three-armed machine that now housed the techmarine, the second, the Gipsy Danger-pattern had a design that seemed more like a streamlined design of power armor but was very well-balanced, though less agile than the Crimson Typhoon-Pattern. The third book contained the Cherno Alpha-pattern, a heavy looking machine that had a large "head," designed as a heavy armor unit with the smaller variant bearing various auspex systems dotting the hull, to the large variant bearing a cockpit at the base of the "head." The Fabricator General-relayed this all over the local noosphere, talking to the other magos in the area. In a rare instance, they agreed; these were legitimate STCs.

This discovery was beyond phenomenal technologically, the political ramifications though were problematic. The general consensus among the Magi was that the techmarine was correct in bringing the STCs straight to them after managing to extract them from the Ark Mechanicus, the scalability meaning that the STCs will benefit almost every Division of the Adeptus Mechanicus, including the aging Ordo Reductor, whom no longer possessed means to manufacture Thallax.

However for the dreadnought variants, that remained a question as to whether all chapters should receive them. These STCs were clearly a blessing of the Omnissiah and it was a simple fact that other chapters would not respect that. It would go up for debate.

The Fabricator General turned his attention to the one whom had brought them these blessed artifacts, a techmarine whom had honored the Quest for Knowledge. The dreadnought had waited patiently while the Magi had conversed using lingua-technis encoded with hexamathical logic functions, something he doubted the techmarine was privy to.

Knowing that the Blood Ravens Master of the Forge was at the least well-versed in unencoded lingua-technis, the Fabricator General initiated unencoded dialog with the dreadnought.

You have contributed to the Quest for Knowledge and brought something incredible to Mars. Where other Adeptus Astartes Chapters would have hesitated, perhaps even kept it for themselves (cited example: Blood Angels), you did not. Others still would have used it to gain leverage with the Inquisition, you brought it to us. The question on our minds is: why? Asked the Fabricator General.

The dreadnought was silent for a moment before addressing the Fabricator General of Mars, If we are to move forward into the future, we cannot and should not create rifts but build bridges.

Well said. said the fabricator General, Your actions, I believe, merit a reward. What would you ask of the Adeptus Mechanicus?

Once again the dreadnought was silent as he considered the offer of the leader of the Cult Mechanicus. It was as the Necron Cryptek Cirrikan had told him. The techmarine had rescued the cryptek from the clutches of an Abominable Intelligence and the cryptek had helped forge his dreadnought body. The cryptek had managed to extract from the Ark Mechanicus Arizona's Machine Spirit the STCs and gave them to him, telling him that the combination of the Ark and the STCs would put him before the leader of the Cult Mechanicus itself.

I wish to petition you, as both the Leader of the Adeptus Mechanicus and a High Lord of Terra, for permission to mount an expedition into the Libraries Omnis. Said the techmarine dreadnought.

The chamber became very quiet at the request.

I also wish to make use of the Arizona's forge while you deliberate. the dreadnought added.

You do realize that could take decades, maybe even centuries to process. Even then the answer could very well be no. Said the Fabricator General.

One should not make a request, if one is not prepared for the probable outcome, said Vernus.

I will take your request to the other High Lords of Terra, said the Fabricator General

The dreadnought bowed after the Adeptus Mechanicus High Lord closed the connection. With a motion that seemed as natural as any organic body, the dreadnought turned and walked out of the chamber. The doors closed behind him sealing the room once more from prying ears and eyes.

The many magi in the chamber surrounded the STC books printed out from the Ark Mechanicus, some placing their hands reverentially on the volumes. The Collegia Titanica were very excited to have not one but three new patterns of Titans and the challenges involved in their manufacture, though any possibility of mixing parts with the standing patterns of titans needed to be scrutinized carefully and approved. The Legio Cybernetica had similar conversation in their private noospheres, especially with the possibility of generating superior parts for their ancient robots without potentially having to scrap fallen dreadnoughts. Even the normally cold members of the obscure Ordo Reductor expressed strong interest in the STCs' potential to expand their diminishing Thallax ranks.

The excitement in the chamber was palpable even the most mechanized of the magi expressed an eagerness that had not been seen in centuries… maybe even a millenia! The Fabricator General leaned on his staff as his mind moved between each groups' respective noosphere. The one exception to all this exuberance was the ancient Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl, whose mechadendarites seemed to twitch in… irritation? The ancient archmagos was difficult to read but if the Fabricator General was to hazard a guess, he would speculate the sudden appearance of these blessed STCs interfered with one or more of his secret projects.

Regardless, the dreadnought had not only contributed greatly to the Quest for Knowledge that day but by asking to take part in an expedition into the Libraries Omnis, something as far as any known record could indicate was never undertaken by any member of the Adeptus Astartes, the techmarine was showing initiative that he doubted either the Iron Hands or Steel Confessors could match. The irony was not lost on the Archmagos of Mars that while the Iron Hands and their successor chapters, maintained close ties with the Mechanicus, the fact that they have done so very little to contribute to the Quest for Knowledge was a tacit frustration. The Iron Hands chapter and their successor chapters focused too much on depriving themselves of their flesh and blood bodies. It would seem that this day, the chapter that had earned closer ties to the Mechanicus would be the Blood Ravens.

The Fabricator General had every intention of trying to fulfill the techmarine's requests. For the Arizona's forges, he would make certain that the techmarine would get everything he asked for in regards to technology, with the exception of the obvious forbidden technologies. He already contacted a magos to tutor the dreadnought on some of the more obscure lore including an update on hexamathical logic functions. He was not surprised that several of the other Cult Mechanicus divisions were of similar mind in regards to the dreadnought and desired to invest in the chapter that had produced him.

The Fabricator General perused through the book containing the Crimson Typhoon-pattern. As he examined the dreadnought sized chassis, he simultaneously marvelled at the level of detail and the potential precision of the armored shell. He also noted the sheer number of slots that were empty on Vernus' dreadnought body. With a few more pieces of equipment courtesy of the Mechanicus, not only will Vernus be well-within his capabilities to resume his role as his chapter's Master of the Forge but far exceed it. As far as it was within his power, the Fabricator General of Mars would make sure he would have a Forge worthy of his title.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Several space tugs carefully maneuvered the Arizona to dock with the Ring of Iron, the massive shipyards encircling the entirety of Mars. The Ark Mechanicus coordinated the firing of its maneuvering engines to manage the speed at which it moved alongside the shipyard to an ancient dock once responsible for the construction of its ilk. It was a task that took several days as mega-meters became kilometers, kilometers became meters, and meters to centimeters the massive vessel rapidly slowing as it grew closer and closer, until finally the docking clamps attached to the hull. Large spidery limbs unfurled from the dock and the other side of the dock swung into place on the other side of the Ark Mechanicus. As soon as the airlocks opened, tech priests and servitors flooded the ship with supplies, manpower, raw materials, and much needed technology for the ship's armament.

The Collegia Titanica coordinated with the Divisio Fabricator to make use of the Ark Mechanicus' large forges to begin construction of the new titans detailed in the STCs, while the Divisio Digitalis was preoccupied with the discovered "Clean room section" where cogitatiors of superior quality were manufactured. The Ark Mechanicus was beginning to feel like a proper ship of the Omnissiah. There were many oddities aboard the ship two of said oddities were found in the engine room: the main reactor and the Arizona's absence of Warp Engines.

The fact that it required no fuel to power only deepened the mystery of the Ark. The absence of warp engines was was unlocked by the dreadnought techmarines explaining that the engines enabled the ship to slip into a dimension that was not the Warp but not the Webway either. Combined with the oddly accurate stellar cartography, the ship could miraculously operate without a navigator. The potential of such technology had many implications… if only the STCs for it could be unlocked as well but Vernus informed them that that was proving difficult as the Arizona had clamped down on any further access to its STC database.

Additional systems surprised the tech priests, those being in the form of the automatons. The ship's basic functions required no servitors, as it depended instead on a variety of complex mechanical constructs, ranging from tiny insect-like drones to large multifunctional striders. With the utmost caution and reverence, the tech-priests disassembled all the variations, carefully examining them for possible tech-heresy. What they found in each was highly advanced modular cogitators, merging what appeared to be digital cogitators mounted into intricate yet sturdy clockwork artifices. Each automaton varied in complexity by how many modules it had to call upon for the tasks to be performed but also limited how much intelligence was allotted to each.

Each of the hundreds of millions of these constructs made up a vast network inside the Ark that account for supply, manufacturing, courier functions, maintenance, and repair as needed. The system was so complex yet so responsive to the needs of the crew and passengers, it behaved almost as an organism. Another unexpected discovery aboard was the biosphere modules filled with varying plants ranging from fruits and vegetables to herbs. As soon as said plants were ready, the harvest was collected and stored by the automatons into stasis chambers or delivered to the dining halls spread throughout the ship, while the seeds were either replanted or stored as necessary. The speculation for the need for such a system threw off the tech-priests estimations concerning the ship's age, thinking it far older, pre-dating the protein-foundries of other arks.

All these details and more were known to the techmarine dreadnought Vernus, whom the Cult Mechanicus only called upon when they when having a particular difficulty accessing systems of the Ark and were willing to swallow their pride to ask, an instance that was rare. So they mostly left the dreadnought alone in the forge. Vernus was left to his work and thoughts, his initial work beginning with forging tools appropriate to his size. One would think that due him being a dreadnought that some measure of delicacy when it came to his work would be lost and if one thought only of his main three arms, they would be right. However, the dreadnought/ titan STCs the Adeptus Mechanicus was fawning over provided a solution in the form of telescoping limbs like that of an arachnid that could be attached to the ports in his back. The limbs could be utilized for work and combat in equal measure, though long and slender, were deceptively both strong and precise.

Due to his exceptional record as the Blood Ravens Master of the Forge, Vernus was granted unilateral permission to build and adapt the new dreadnought chassis as long as he stayed within the guidelines of the STCs. That was an easy feat as between the three massive volumes alone, which were compatible with each other in terms of parts, internal components, and wargear, he had more versatility than he could ever ask for. One tool though required extensive permission as he desired a tool that clearly marked him as a follower of the Omnissiah: a dreadnought-sized Omnissian power axe.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

It was only a matter of time before the Inquisition came for Vernus… or at least tried. The fact that an Ark Mechanicus was strictly Cult Mechanicus property meant that an Inquisitor would have to jump through a metric ton of paperwork just to get near one. The fact that the Arizona was docked with the Ring of Iron meant it fell strictly under the auspices of Mars and that meant that an Inquisitor could flash his credentials till he was blue in the face and the tech-priests did not have to listen to him one iota.

It had taken 20 years… 20 YEARS since the mysterious arrival of the Arizona for the Inquisition to manipulate, argue, debate with the Cult Mechanicus to get an hour with the techmarine. When it came to the Imperium, the Inquisition had unilateral authority, even over the Adeptus Astartes. However, in the case of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Inquisition was, more often than not, stonewalled in any pending investigation. As the techmarines fell firmly between the Cult Mechanicus and the Astra Militarium, the Inquisition's authority was only partial. It was through hefty wrangling that the Inquisition was able to send a single Psyker Inquisitor to interview the techmarine.

Inquisitor Pallin Seseux looked through the file provided to him about the subject in question, Techmarine Vernus. 876 years old, recruited from Meridian, sub-sector Aurelia, into the Blood Ravens Chapter. Completed training with honors, sent to Mars to train as a Techmarine. Here is where things got interesting. Unlike most techmarines which spent 30 years training in the arcane sciences of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Vernus' talents were so exceptional that he spent 50 years of training before accompanying an Explorator fleet on a 70 year mission which proved successful in no small part thanks to his efforts, he was recommended with honors from the Archmagos of the fleet for addition 20 years of training. 140 years before he was even returned to his chapter!

Once back in the Chapter, he quickly ascended through the ranks of the techmarines, noted for both his remarkable aptitude for negotiation and logistical management even more so his technical mastery that earned him the exceptionally rare title of Artificer. Served with honors for 300 years before volunteering to serve in the Deathwatch. Naturally, the 100 years he served was largely classified but an item of note was that after 80 years of service he achieved the title of Forge Master.

As for any references to the techmarine's character, even though he was a very talented and knowledgeable individual, he was also very personable, speaking eloquently and courteously, a space marine with manners. When he returned to his chapter, he brought his well-developed skills to bear in the space-bound Astartes chapter. His skills eventually granted him the rank of Master of the Forge. From what few records of their missions were made available to him, the Inquisitor saw he was not only dealing with a veteran of the forge and battlefield but also the political area. This was going to be a tough interrogation.

Regardless, the Inquisitor felt quite secure in the large chamber with the gold-highlighted obsidian banner of the Inquisition on the wall behind him and several armed guards in the form of the Space Wolves chapter, the rival of the Blood Ravens. The doors opened, heralding the arrival of the techmarine. Heavy footfall, heavier than any space marines should be, was heard as what entered the chamber suddenly changed the carefully-arranged environment of the Inquisitor.

It was a dreadnought, somehow his investigation had missed the fact that the techmarine had been interred into a dreadnought of a pattern he did not recognize. It was tall, if it extended its legs fully the Inquisitor had no doubt it would be taller than an Contemptor pattern. It's head had several lenses emerging from the knight shaped head. In one of it's hands it bore what resembled a massive Omnissian Power axe, gleaming with adamantium, brass, and gold, arcane circuitry glowing and pulsing as if alive. However unlike the traditional toothed gear that typically formed the head of the axe there was a long blade attached to the haft taking the form of a polearm axe.

Not only did the dreadnought's body bear the iconography of both his chapter and the Opus Machina but decorating his chest plating was his awards and accolades from around the Imperium. Custom rewards in lingua technis from various Magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus, even from the Fabricator General himself. Accolades from several other chapters for his service in joint efforts. Then there was his Deathwatch accolades, plates inscribed by several Watch Captains.

The Space Wolves suddenly took a knee in seeming reverence of the dreadnought. The confused Inquisitor looked closely at the one of the accolades and saw one from the Space Wolves Chapter, inscribed by the Space Wolves present equivalent of Master of the Forge.

The Inquisitor realized with no small amount of horror, that by simply walking in, the techmarine dreadnought had turned the tables on him.

"Well met, brother Astartes, I have seen the work of your Iron Priests in training on Mars. It pleases me to see such excellence and dedication from such a venerated Chapter. Tell me, is Forge brother Jurgen well?" Boomed the dreadnought.

"He is well, ancient one, when he returns to the Fortress Monastery, he often speaks of the hard lessons you taught him." Replied one of the Space Wolves as they rose.
What is going on here? The Inquisitor thought in confusion. He scanned the minds of the Space Wolves attempting to glean how this techmarine overcame the prejudice between their respective chapters.

A duel of the Forge? Ah… a competition built on nothing more than blood, sweat, and skill. Vernus soundly beat their Iron Priest in a fair competition during his Deathwatch service and shared a drink with them after… Surely that cannot be all? The Inquisitor tried to pry further in an attempt to glean information to regain control of the environment but he felt almost all their minds clamp shut and suddenly he could feel their respective hate as they came to the realization that the Inquisitor whom they had been asked to guard was a psyker.

"Speak, Inquisitor Pallin Sesuex, and let us settle this matter once and for all." Commanded the dreadnought.

With that last statement, the Inquisitor felt stripped of the last vestiges of control, reduced to nothing but a rank by age and experience.

"Where did you go after the destruction of Kronus?" Asked the Inquisitor, his mind probed the dreadnought only to find a classic barrier stopping him: lingua technis. The Inquisitor silently cursed the Cult Mechanicus, the ability to read minds was rendered moot when one could not understand the language of the thoughts. Not to mention with the layers upon layers of parallel thought-processes, the Inquisitor realized he did not have the full attention of the dreadnought.

"I know not, as I was rendered unconscious by a psychic attack while we were engaged against the forces of Farseer Taldeer. When I awoke, it was in the company of Magos Veritas and his retinue, formerly attached to Kronos Legion under Governor Militant Alexander. They had rescued and several of my battle brothers from the hands of a Necron cryptek. They had discovered a nearly complete Ark Mechanicus on the icy plains of an unknown world. My battle brothers and I saw to the both the aid in getting the Ark functional and its protection." Said the techmarine as he recounted his tale.

"It was during our vigil that the Ark was attacked by an Abominable Intelligence of an unknown Xenos origin, i was able to critically damage it before being severely injured myself. The Ark provided the dreadnought body into which I am presently interred. Once the Ark was complete, we left the world behind and set course for the Holy Forge world of Mars." The dreadnought went silent as he concluded his tale.

The Inquisitor could sense no deception from the dreadnought but it meant little when he could not make any sense of the complex mind inside. However his story largely matched that of his battle-brothers, some minor difference expected of differing perspectives.

" Did this Xenos have a name?" Asked the Inquisitor.

"I was informed his name was Cirrikan, the Technomancer." Said Vernus.

As much as he wanted to pry for more details, he doubted trying to press his authority for answers would yield nothing more than his own end, however the situation was salvageable.

The Inquisitor smiled and stood," I am honored that you took the time to speak with me, Great One, and am humbled by your presence. Go in peace, and may the Emperor's light continue to shine on you."

"Your words do me much credit, Inquisitor, you will indeed go far. Adaptation is as crucial in word as it is in deed. I look forwards to our next encounter. Fare thee well." The dreadnought turned about smoothly and walked out of the chamber. Following his departure, the Inquisitor heard the Space Wolves file out.

Once he was truly alone, Inquisitor Pallin sat back down and breathed a sigh of relief and the thought hit him, he saw right through me! He saw me being opportunistic and lauded me for it!

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

It was outside of the chamber that the Space Wolves once again met with the dreadnought in question.

"Honor compels me to speak, great one." Said the leader.

"Then speak, son of Russ." The dreadnought invited as he smoothly spun on his heels to face him.

"You likely spoke of this when you served with Iron Priest Jurgen but we would once again iterate our objection to your chapter having so many Librarians and your dishonorable use of the Warp." Said the Space Wolf.

"I have little to no explanation as to why our chapter produces so many psykers but as you know well, an untrained psyker could bring death to a world, even more so one of our own. We train them to fight the ruinous powers because we know our enemies will have no reservations about using them against us. We train them to be another weapon in our arsenal and we use them, for what good is a weapon forged but never used?" said Techmarine Vernus.

"Wise words, ancient one, but even so, what honor is there is use of the such abilities?" Asked another Space Wolf.

"True it does not compare to a plain field of battle but those are often too few and too rare. What good is the swing of a sword if it does not find its mark or a bolter unaimed? Librarians add to us another dimension that allow us victory where others would find death. To use the Warp is a trap but being aware of trap means we can either avoid it, spring it under our own terms, or better yet make it into a trap for our enemies." Said Dreadnought Vernus.

The techmarine dreadnought continued," I no more like my chapter's use of the Warp than you do. I am not attempting to convince you that it is right, but it is necessary. Every chapter has their own paths to trod, full of dangers from without and within, as you know too well. At the end of the day, we are all ultimately sons of the Emperor that makes you my brothers and I would proudly fight at your side." Said the Dreadnought.

The Space wolves nodded among each other. The Captain called out," HAIL VERNUS, THE FORGEMASTER!"
"HAIL VERNUS." the others called out.

With nothing left to say, the dreadnought nodded and strode to leave the Inquisitorial ship.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Vernus flew himself back to the Arizona, his dreadnought body proving to be as equally capable of operating in the cold of deep space. He closed in on a small, open hangar, one of many aboard, having transmitted that he was incoming. He soon landed in the bay, shutting off his multi-chamber ion engines and letting artificial gravity take over. He landed twisting his torso to place his right hand on the deck to land in a three-point stance. He could actually "feel" his suspension system absorb the impact as surely as they were his own legs.

The doors to the hangar closed. His hearing activated once the pressure reached the basic threshold to carry sound waves and quickly picked up the sound of one of the doors to the chamber opening. He stood up and turned to face the newly minted Archmagos Veritas, one of the Magi responsible for his resurrection into a dreadnought. The Magi in question, was a rare breed whom had become fully one with the machine, a line that was both difficult and often controversial to cross. Still he wore his new robes with pride.

I believe a measure of congratulations are in order. Vernus transmitted to the Magos.

My gratitude to you, Vernus, but it was strongly due to your recommendation that I got this title, even more so, the Arizona. Said the Archmagos, though being purely machine now, he still seemed to retain a measure of emotional capability in which at this time was expressing pride.

I assure you, I spoke only the truth in regards to your skill and your value. All of this is an investment by Mars in hopes that you will help advance the Cult Mechanicus. Said Vernus as he gestured out of the hangar with one of his two left arms. The Magos moved to his side, walking with two of his four arms behind his back and one using his Omnissian power axe like a walking stick.

You are one to speak having additionally extracted the STCs for the Striker Eureka, Tacit Ronin, and Coyote Tango-pattern dreadnought/ titans. You have garnered so much favor from Mars, the Collegia Titanica and Legio Cybernetica especially, that you could become a Magos in your own right. Said Veritas as they approached one of the magnetic trams that traveled through the ship.

I am sure the High Lords would not look favorably on an Astartes wielding political power. Besides I am sure the STC for the Subjugator pattern you extracted from the Arizona certainly elevates you above the norm. I hear you are making sure the designs are well-adjusted to Mars STC standards in the Arizona's shipyard. Said Vernus.

It was then a foregone conclusion that I would be given the Ark. Agreed the Magos, Though I am certain that if you could, you would take the Arizona.

Then it would be subject to investigation by the Inquisition and we certainly do not want that. Said the dreadnought.

No we do not. As it is now within my authority, the Arizona is being readied to travel though it will still take another 20 years. Provided you are still on Mars, I would be happy to take the Arizona and escort you and your battle-brothers back to your chapter. Said the Archmagos.

I would be grateful… considering that the Kronus campaign is 30 years away. said the Dreadnought.

The Archmagos stopped and regarded Vernus, You knew?

Blood Ravens are very good at finding hidden knowledge… like official dates. Said the techmarine, The Warp is mysterious, you are in no way guaranteed that you will arrive within the expected time of your arrival. Sometimes you arrive on time, sometimes you arrive weeks, months, centuries, and in some cases even millennia after the fact. Then there are occasions you arrive years before your are scheduled to arrive. All the same, it was not difficult to find out I had arrived 50 years before the Kronus campaign.

Yet you did not seek to rejoin and possibly warn your chapter? Said Veritas.

Meddling with the timeline potentially has terrible consequences, possibly even open up a new Warp rift. As a techmarine, among my many duties, it is my task to fix problems, not make them, unless it is for our enemies. Said Vernus, So instead, I will take this opportunity to create new opportunities and build new bonds of friendship between our chapter and other chapters, us and the Mechanicus especially.

Seems like internment is serving you well. Said the Magos as the tram stopped at the Forge section where the techmarine dreadnought spent much of his time.

Wisdom comes with experience and learning from it. Becoming a dreadnought means, I am to be listened to. Said the dreadnought with a small degree of humor.

The Archmagos produced a sound which equated to laughter, Indeed… Indeed. I look forwards to seeing more of your work.

The dreadnought stepped out of the tram and walked to his forge.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

It was fifteen years later, when a request for assistance came from Forge World Graia, which was coming under attack from an Ork WAAAGH! The Arizona was armed and ready and with its unique FTL system, it was capable of responding in a timely manner. The Machine Spirit of the ship was anxious to be unleashed. Its weapons systems has passed all inspections and the ship was fully staffed.

Archmagos Veritas was in the control room, the ship's noosphere was a hive of data as it prepared to finally launch from the Ring of Iron. The large doors to the control room opened and the heavy thudding of footsteps moved over the deck accompanied by several others. Archmagos Veritas disconnected from his command chair and stood up to face the dreadnought. The frame of the dreadnought had been decorated further with commendations from the Iron Hands for his technological contribution to their once-dwindling pool of dreadnought frames.

Accompanying the dreadnought were the other Blood Ravens that had shown up aboard the Arizona, along with three new techmarines that had completed their training on Mars a few years ago and were presently being trained under Vernus. Their armor and custom-built servo harnesses blended seamlessly together, a testament to their growing skill under techmarine Vernus' tutelage. The Magos could hear them conversing within their own private Noosphere.

Greetings, honored Vernus. How fares the Arizona? Archmagos Veritas asked.

I sense the Machine Spirit is anxious and hungers for battle but there is a sense of foreboding that I cannot quantify. It originates from the Ark Mechanicus itself. Said the dreadnought.

Considering how quickly these jumps take, i will have the Arizona placed on high alert as soon as we are clear of the dock. Said the Magos. The machines of the Imperium were mysterious and there were occasions where these machines from the baneblade to the Arks, sometimes developed an uncanny intuition. Magos Veritas had had many occasions where the veteran Baneblades under his former charge had predicted the destruction of either them or their crews. He was not about to ignore what was potentially the most powerful ship in the Mechanicus.

We will go prepare. Said the dreadnought before bowing.

The Archmagos reconnected to his command chair. He felt the navigation systems, he sensed subtle yet powerful influence of the Arizona. How does one speak to such an entity? How does one communicate with a mind so powerful it could swallow his consciousness? Vernus had explained it to him: you simply ask.

Shall we go to Graia? The Magos sent into the ship's noosphere. He sensed the consciousness stir. Veritas was uncertain as to whether it was do to him, his request or even the departure of the dreadnought, which it seemed attached to for some reason that exceeded his understanding. He sensed the navigation system synchronize instantly with the maneuvering thrusters as the Ark separated from the Ring of Iron. Through the ship, he could actually see Graia picked out from the navigation system's array of stars.

There was a strange sensation, then suddenly, he knew they were there at Graia. The Archmagos pulled out of the noosphere to blaring alarms. He knew instantly what the problem was.
"Battlestations! All hands prepare to repel boarders! Ork Croozers incoming!" Said the Magos through his vox unit.

What an interesting way to start the journey.