Chapter 16: Forge World Shana
As the fleet approached Forge World Shana from the system's outer reaches, the planet's industrial majesty became visible even from deep space: countless manufactorums covered every landmass, their glow painting the void with mechanical grandeur.
Defensive rings encircled the world in geometric perfection. Starships moved through the orbital traffic lanes: Imperial Navy warships alongside bulk freighters, all following precisely calculated approach vectors.
A Forge World represented the Mechanicus's ultimate expression of industrial might: resource-rich planets transformed entirely into weapons production centers.
They formed the Imperium's military-industrial backbone, manufacturing everything from interstellar battleships to the humble lasguns carried by Guardsmen.
Every structure was constructed from steel, vast fortresses covering foundries that operated without pause.
Gigantic manufactorums and ultra-large temple complexes, along with their auxiliary facilities and massive supply production centers, formed industrial clusters visible from orbit. Continent-sized factory networks covered every available landmass, devoted entirely to the forge-temples' sacred work.
The Forge World churned out materiel without end, transforming the planet into a world of steel.
Any warship damage could be repaired here. Any supply shortage could be remedied, from flak armor for mortal soldiers to the sacred power armor of the Adeptus Astartes. Distribution, maintenance, and repair: all were available.
The only drawback was habitability. Industrial waste and effluent rendered the planet unsuitable for a large-scale human population.
These environmental concerns meant nothing to the tech-priests, however.
They had long since converted their bodies to mechanical forms, replacing even their blood with synthetic fluids that extended their operational lifespans far beyond baseline humanity.
Previously, Omega had felt little emotion regarding the Omnissiah the Mechanicus revered; he'd previously thought it was just the fictionization of scientific principles, imagined as a Machine God by these "cogboys."
But now, as he stood on the warship's bridge in the orbital docks, gazing down at the factory networks covering the entire world... From this perspective, the patterns of light represented countless forges.
His heart swelled with appreciation for industrial technology's grandeur and scope.
"Praise the Omnissiah!" Several tech-priests on the bridge grew unusually animated.
This Forge World was established specifically for the Rangdan Xenocides, serving as the most crucial logistical foundation for this century-long war by providing endless weapons and resources.
Forge World Shana had been founded during the first Rangdan campaign. Nine Astartes Legions had been stationed here during the second campaign. Now, in the third campaign, Shana remained indispensable to the war effort.
Warship maintenance and resupply were entrusted to the Mechanicus adepts, ensuring that damaged Astartes power armor and weapons would receive proper repair and consecration.
The entire Alpha Legion temporarily withdrew from active operations, awaiting the completion of rearmament.
Omega realized that after nearly a year of continuous warfare, he finally had time to breathe. Alpharius had left him in temporary command while attending to matters on the forge world below.
Before long, only Apothecary Russell remained on the bridge. Following the Legion management protocols he'd absorbed over the past six months, Omega conducted inspections throughout the ship, returning to the bridge an hour later.
He watched Russell prepare chemical compounds with mild boredom. The Apothecary finally completed a mixture, raised his mechanical head, and spoke calmly.
"My lord, we are quite safe on Forge World Shana. It is perfectly acceptable to relax."
"Once supplies are replenished, we will be thrust back into war with the xenos. There will be no time for rest then. The human body, even that of ours, functions like a precision machine; moderate rest enables more efficient operation."
"And you, Apothecary Russell? Is preparing medicines your idea of rest?" Omega nodded, then chuckled.
"Indeed. Preparing compounds makes my mind feel wonderfully clear and vital, far more efficient than sleep." Russell paused, mildly surprised by Omega's perceptiveness, then added analytically, "It serves my function optimally."
Omega nodded and simply sat in a command throne, closing his eyes without further movement.
Russell made a soft sound of amusement. The return of this gene-sire had made the Legion's atmosphere less austere, considerably more... lively.
The Mechanicus adepts often observed the differences and similarities between the twin Primarchs whenever opportunity allowed. They had come to understand them somewhat during their time together.
Omega wasn't sleeping, however. He was practicing the Rangda psychic training method he'd discovered, though he hadn't sought higher-level xenos techniques on Mylosac.
A crucial reason: he'd learned from Legion archives that the Emperor forbade study of xenos technology and artificial intelligence.
He didn't know the reasoning behind this prohibition, but a command was a command.
Yet during six months of warfare, he'd still observed tech-priests and Mechanicus adepts studying xenos warship technology and weapons. Alpharius had not stopped them.
Regarding Rangda genetics, biology, and psychic methods, even the Mechanicus avoided them, predetermined as unresearchable.
A significant reason was that biological systems and consciousness fell outside the Mechanicus's research scope. The xenos weren't mechanical constructs. But these were also pre-established agreements between the Mechanicus and the Alpha Legion.
Observing this situation, Omega adopted an indirect approach.
Using his enhanced perception during battles on xenos worlds, he studied the psychic attack methods employed by powerful Rangda specimens, thereby deducing subsequent training progressions.
He possessed the relatively complete base-level method from initial interrogations of lesser xenos. Because he wasn't actually Rangda, he couldn't manifest psychic attacks.
So he removed the attack-focused evolutionary branches of the technique, choosing continuous refinement instead. If one refinement weren't enough, he'd perform ten.
If ten weren't sufficient, then a hundred. A thousand. Ten thousand. Victory through volume.
He hoped to achieve qualitative transformation through quantitative accumulation. That was Omega's approach.
Under such straightforward methodology, with a demigod's formidable mental capacity, he found he'd chosen the right path, successfully developing a method for psychic condensation.
At this moment, Omega's powerful consciousness repeated the mental condensation technique thousands upon thousands of times, feeling his thoughts solidify incrementally. Even his cognition became more clearer, more rational.
After an indeterminate period, sensing someone approaching, Omega returned to external awareness.
Seeing the red-robed mechanical figure close by, particularly the constantly rotating optic augmetic, he startled slightly.
Russell expressionlessly stepped back several paces, shaking a bottle of compound in his hand.
After Omega stared at him expectantly for an explanation, Russell coughed and spoke calmly.
"My lord you appear to have rested quite well. Total rest duration was three hours, twenty-nine minutes, and forty-six seconds. Your physiological readings are normal. Indeed, moderate rest benefits the body significantly."
"So you...!" Omega said, somewhat speechless, hearing such detailed records. These Mechanicus adepts truly loved their research.
Russell quickly changed subjects.
"I only woke you because it's lunchtime. I know where the best food on the Forge World can be found. I could take you on a tour of Shana; there are quite a few Astartes from other Legions present."
Seeing the transparent excuse, Omega wasn't annoyed. Hearing the reasoning, he recognized an attempt to please him.
He asked curiously, "What analysis led you to believe this would convince me?"
Mechanicus Apothecary Russell was silent briefly, his optic rotating. Knowing he couldn't easily deflect, he analyzed rationally:
"Lord Omega's inner nature more closely resembles baseline humanity. You possess normal human curiosity and a desire to experience novel things. You willingly sample various cuisine within the Legion, whether Astartes rations or mortal fare."
"Based on these past behavioral patterns, I believe you will accept my suggestion."
Omega nodded, then asked doubtfully, "Isn't it normal for me to be like baseline humans?"
"Normal for mortals. Not necessarily for extraordinarily powerful gene-sires. My lord, if you had met other Primarchs, you might understand." Russell spoke seriously.
Many Primarchs did not possess inner natures resembling baseline humanity. Realizing this, Omega didn't probe further.
Since the Legion had no pressing matters, Omega accepted Russell's invitation to descend to the forge world below.
Russell, not expecting agreement, nodded. The two departed from the orbital docks toward the surface.
[End of Chapter]