POV: Nicole

  I look at my digital list of priorities and wince. "One thing at a time." First things first, I need to message Master Doll... and Gertrude. That way, I'll be able to knock off two tasks at once. I smirk and message the two as I head for the Manufactorum.

  "Master Doll, Magos Gertrude, I've recovered a scanner schematic from the Cobalt Coatl that might solve our Genestealer issue. Please meet me... in Master Doll's forge. We need to discuss what it will cost."

  I arrive first in Master Doll's personal forge and make my way to the remains of the Yggdrasil printer. Master Doll has extensive documentation from his studies on the device, though his current efforts seem skewed towards the materials it was using to make the seeds.

  "Your trip to the Cobalt Coatl, was it fruitful?" Master Doll inquires as he enters the forge with Magos Gertrude.

  "It was. In a number of ways," I reply, and with a wave of my hand, display the schematic on one of the holoprojectors.

  "A portable unit as well as a stationary model?" Gertrude is instantly intrigued. "Ah, I see the benefit of the stationary model is its higher throughput. There are other Xenos parasites and infiltrators that this system could easily identify as well."

  "You mentioned costs?" Master Doll inquires as he studies the schematic closely.

  I nod, "The materials necessary for the scanner require a nano-forge. Production won't be expedient, and the raw materials aren't anything to scoff at either, but the problem is mainly the nano-forge." I gesture to the remains of the Yggdrasil printer, "While repairing this to its full functionality to produce seeds is beyond me, and beyond us with the loss of the crystalline tree STC, the printer is several nano-forge units that have been mashed together to function as a single fused unit. We could, with some careful effort, separate them and reprogram one of them to produce the scanner units. It wouldn't be quick, perhaps a unit a week for the portable units, but given what they can do…" I trail off; the scanner schematic lists its restrictions and capabilities.

  Gertrude and Master Doll study me with increased interest. "I think with Master Doll leading a team and my aid with Technomancy, it can be done in a reasonable time frame."

  Master Doll nods as he considers the suggestion thoroughly before responding, "I believe that would be a suitable use for the remains of the printer. While I lament the loss of the Yggdrasil STC seed technology, these scanners are necessary to fight off the Xenos infection." He pauses for a long moment before he adds, "To know is to become as the Omnissiah wills – to remain ignorant is to fall into the entropy of flesh and rust. To preserve the whole, one must sometimes unmake the part. That which is broken may serve anew. The spark, once freed, may ignite another flame."

  "I agree," Gertrude replies, "This is not the first ancient device to be repurposed when it could not be restored, and it will not be the last. That we can return these wondrous machines to life and further the quest for knowledge through this effort is enough."

  "Alright. This project will not be easy, Master Doll. You'll need a support team. We might need a few of the other Magi, too. Taking this apart into separate constituent printers is going to get very complicated." I admit, as AME hovers nearby, ready to help us if I need it.

  "Before we do anything, let me see how much more I can fix," I say as I disengage my limiters and trigger my full enhancement suite. Surely if I can fix a Plasma Drive, I can handle a printer? I raise my hand and reach for the remains of the Yggdrasil printer.

  "Mend."

  As I focus on the printer, I immediately feel exhaustion set in. The various arms are all nano-printers with exactingly precise tolerances. All of them were out of alignment after being extracted via teleport in haste. Fine probes mend their stress fractures, microfractures in lenses vanish, and other imperceptible issues fade.

  I let out a groan by the time the Printer is as fixed as I can make it. I slump to the floor and sprawl out with an exhausted sigh. The cold steel feels nice. "Duly noted, smaller does not necessarily mean easier when it comes to Technomancy and nanotech. Ugh."

  Gertrude immediately comes over to fuss over me with AME while Master Doll scans the printer with a keen eye. "Well done, Nicole. The current repaired state, compared to the state it was in previously, has made key portions of the original structure clear to me. I've identified where they spliced the cabling and fused the nano-forges. I believe I know how we can separate the fused nano-forges without breaking them. Given the specifications on the Archeotech Bioscanner, we'll only get three nano-forges, perhaps four at most? I would like to claim one for my personal use."

  AME flutters over to perch her cool chassis on my forehead. "Happy to help," I mutter from the floor. "I'm fine, that was just far more draining than I expected. I have no issues with you claiming one, Master Doll."

  "I'll handle the separations personally, Nicole, though it will take some time," Doll replies eagerly as he runs a metal finger along a nearly invisible seam. "Would you like to reschedule the Abacus test with AME for next week?"

  "That is acceptable. I do have a few other things to keep me preoccupied," I say with a wry little grin.

  Gertrude, having determined that I really am fine, steps back.

  "Magos Gertrude, I would appreciate your consultation regarding Delta-A3. I anticipate he will require time in the regenerative vats before his upgrades," I say off-handedly.

  "Just Gertrude is fine, Nicole. You're a peer after all. The vats are available. Have you considered biological enhancements for his upgrades?" Gertrude asks, clearly amused.

  "I… am now… There are a few custom designs from the Tempestus archives that are very… Particular. Bold, to be certain, but I am unsure how effective some of them are or if they were more ornamental in nature," I admit as I slowly sit up, "I will bring up the options and let Delta-A3 decide."

  "You need not stay for the disassembly." Master Doll politely waves me off with one of his dendrites. "Once I have separated the units, I will have you go over them with me one more time before we make any of the required adjustments to reprogram them." Master Doll says while gently removing an exterior panel from the printer.

  —--------------------------------------------------------

  POV: Delta-A3

  It deeply amused him how thorough his charge was in providing him with options for his elevation. His preference was for effectiveness. Things like appearance were not even a secondary concern. He'd met countless different patterns and styles of Skitarii in his years of service.

  "So… enhancements. There are a lot of options for both biological and mechanical ones," Lady Cavalerio explained while gesturing to a holo display where various designs cycled.

  "We believe the one that best suits your needs for us is sufficient," Delta-A3 stated calmly.

  The Princeps stared at him, exasperated, "Delta, this is important! We'll be conducting major changes to your body! You'll have to live with them for the rest of your life! Which will most likely be very long in your case."

  Delta responded by pulling up his personnel file and displaying his service history. "We are not attached to the human form outside of its functional convenience, My Lady. We have been augmented repeatedly. Before entering your service, we sustained injuries on several occasions, several of which were disfiguring. The certainty of steel was a cold comfort for us."

  She made a funny grumbling noise, "Ugh! Okay! Do you want to fly? Yes or no?"

  Delta turned to look at the Thallax, which had integrated jump packs. "Yes."

  She nodded, "Good! Okay, integrated jump pack or possibly full wings. I know you mentioned Pride's design before; four arms are doable, but would require major physical adjustments. We'll want to upgrade your potentia coil, maybe even into a full micro-reactor. We can make you look like a human or more robotic. We do have the Sicarian designs. But you'd need to decide if you want to focus on melee or ranged combat, as the form affects which integrated weapons we focus on."

  Delta felt drawn to the Sicarian Ruststalker design, particularly the Rustalker Princep. "We find this design appealing," he indicated.

  He felt amused as Nicole started to lecture him. "The Sicarian designs are usually used for rebuilds when Skitarii are gravely injured. The Ruststalker is an assassin build that was also used as a front-line commando unit, and the Ruststalker Princep build would be fairly effective at counter-assassination," She explained while tapping at her data slate. "Maybe make the claws retractable so you could still wield Secutarii gear? Keep the extra blade arms, maybe tweak them, and add integrated ranged weapons." She paused, scrunched her nose in thought for a moment, "A shield is a must. The jump pack and the bigger core will require making you larger. Perhaps talons on the feet instead of the default hoof design? Tempestus has a design they call 'raptorian legs.' We can try those. As for the internals, we have extra redundant organs, major cranial and neural enhancements for you to act as a command unit, practically turning you into a Dominus," she trailed off, looking contemplative.

  "Raptor…" Her eyes twinkled, and she began tweaking things. They sat silently for a while before she pulled up what she had compiled. The form was tall but looked lithe and agile. Lethal-looking talons rested on the mechanical digitigrade legs, doubling up on the transonic blade limb, and the chordclaw had been made retractable. She had changed the mountings from just the base blades to a full articulated pair of hands; four functional arms, as promised. The jump pack was the Argent Pattern she had designed. The jump pack's compact design cuts down on weight. The helmet, meanwhile, had a faint draconic flare under the breathing apparatus.

  "What do you think?" Nicole turned towards him with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

  "Magnificent," Delta replied earnestly.

  "Now, one of the blades might get swapped out for something better, as I do have a few relics and xenotech items that are incredibly potent. If a blade is good enough for Callidus assassins, I imagine it's good enough for you." She said, making minor adjustments to the design.

  Delta nodded slowly. He didn't fully understand, but that was something he had come to accept,ta that his security clearance had to be raised just from frequent proximity to the Princeps.

  "You can come up with your preferred variable loadouts." She sends him a list over the Noosphere, but a significant portion of them read as [REDACTED]. She paused briefly, "You'll have to spend a few days in the healing vats, and making the custom parts will take me a few days. A few bits of Archeotech will help keep the design from growing bloated. I think this new design warrants a new designation. I think the name fits. Custom unit: Delta-A3 Raptor."

  Delta cocked his head at the new additional designation. He felt a smile spread behind his mask. "Yes," he replied, "It fits."

  —-----------------------------------------------------------

  POV: Arianwyn Drakios

  While all the Mechanicus personnel ran around like an overturned anthill after the retreat from the Processional, Ari had little to do. Nicole was busy dealing with the new vessels and her various projects. Ari still invited her to tea, but Nicole had only accepted a tentative invite two weeks after they left.

  She had gotten a present from Nicole. Some kind of comfy bodysuit, a fancy las pistol, and a few sleek and beautiful outfits that she absolutely loved. All apparently archeotech from the Cobalt Coatl. Something she tried not to think too hard about because it was a little insane.

  Ari was studying one of the Dynastic ledgers, so she was surprised when her grandfather called her to his office out of the blue.

  "Arianwyn, I need to discuss the upcoming trip to Cypra Mundi with you, as it will drastically affect the Dynasty."

  "What is going on, Grandfather?" She glanced over at her grandfather's smiling Seneshal.

  "We expect, assuming that we receive the standard level of applicable rewards for the STC and relics we have found, that the Dynasty's net worth will roughly double," Fortunas said as he passed her a dataslate.

  Her brain struggled to comprehend that statement. She knew their family was wealthy, very wealthy. They owned ten habitable planets and the surrounding systems! Practically owned their entire subsector aside from the systems owned by the Star Dragons and Bloodswords.

  "Huh?" She blinked as the numbers were displayed. "This… is your opening bid?"

  "That's just for the STC. I expect the lesser trades to be more involved and drawn out. The Ceramics STC fragment we found is significant and will need to be handled by the Fabricator General personally. Archmagos Doll has agreed to let us take full credit, given that they have their own STC fragments and artifacts to exchange." Her grandfather explained, "We plan to ask for two systems – adjacent ones, unclaimed by the other Dynasties. Systems with potential but not major worlds within. Then a selection of ships and void stations. The request for a Ramilies Star Fort is substantial but would be a major addition to our capital system, and the additional orbital defenses would help ease my concerns over the rest of the Dynasty in these turbulent times."

  "That's… a lot," Ari admitted.

  Her grandfather smiled, rubbing a finger around the rim of his glass as he looked at a portrait hanging nearby. One of her ancestors, grandfather's grandfather, she recalled. There were several prohibitively expensive bottles arranged under it. "It is, but we'll handle that. I wanted to inform you beforehand since I'll be giving you the privilege of naming the Fort and whatever manner of Battle or Grand Cruiser we order, unless we get something reactivated."

  "You're what!?" She squeaked, eyes going wide.

  "They'll be yours one day. You get to name them," he said. The way he spoke made it all sound so reasonable, but there was clear amusement in his gaze. "I expect slightly more thought and effort than something like 'Fort Drakios', dear."

  "Yes, Grandfather," she whimpered.

  He reached over to pat her shoulder affectionately. "Things are going to change, Ari. This excursion showed us that. Nicole will retrieve her Engine, I have no doubts about that. Her having a single personal Titan is different. She has recovered more Engines than some lesser Legios are willing to deploy outright. Back when she was born, Legios had scores, if not hundreds, of them. Making such Engines is intensive, and losses have generally outpaced production. Having the ability to call on such an allied force is significant." He looked at her pointedly. "Princeps Cavalerio's selection of vessels has arranged it so that her Legio will be nearly fully self-sufficient and mobile once properly staffed and the Engines refurbished and retrofitted. The repair ship, the carrier, and lastly that ancient destroyer." He leaned back in his chair. "Given everything that has happened. Do you think we should cut ties and go our separate ways?"

  Ari blinked and looked at her grandfather, incredulous, "What? Why would we do that?"

  "The Princeps is a pre-heresy relic. Just her existence will likely cause significant strife amongst the Mechanicus, especially regarding her innate nature. It could reflect poorly on our house," he said smoothly.

  Ari scoffed and crossed her arms. "Or she could double our net worth again. Which is more likely?"

  Her grandfather grinned down at her proudly, "That is thinking like a proper Rogue Trader. Which is why my focus was on the defensive emplacements," he explained, "If we solidify our holdings, we can invest in further military assets and continue to support Lady Cavalerio. The reason we do so much dealing in military hardware is to satisfy the few specific requirements within our Warrant. We were not blessed as explorers or traders first; we were tasked with seeking out enemies of the Imperium and destroying them. How we went about it was left to our discretion." He chuckled deeply.

  Ari blinked, she hadn't known that explicitly. She had read scans of the warrant as part of her education, but not the document in its entirety; some clauses were kept redacted. "Is that why we have such a large amount of hardware and house troops?"

  "In part, yes. You'll learn it all in due time." He stood up, stretched, and fixed her with a challenging look. "Now, how about you show me how your bladework is coming along? I could use the exercise before I go to meet with the Magi to discuss our plan to stop at Mordian."

  Ari beamed and put her hand on the hilt of her sword as she stood. She had dearly lamented the lack of lessons with her grandfather while in the Processional. "Yes! Finally!"

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  —------------------------------------------------------------------

  POV: Nicole

  With Delta-A3 stripped down and taking a forced healing vat vacation for a week, I have plenty of time to experiment a little with AME and the Canoptek Scarabs. I'm using them to fabricate his custom parts in the forge space of my old room.

  Using the Canoptek scarab is interesting. The process isn't that much faster than my normal forging, but they follow my instructions exactly.

  I task one with constructing a new scarab from a pile of metal scrap. The process takes roughly twelve hours. Having two scarabs producing one doesn't quite halve the production time; there are diminishing returns. I have the scarabs stop once I have five units. I make sure AME doesn't try to eat any of them.

  AME seems to have grasped and integrated the energy-matter manipulators from the scarabs she ate. While each is individually slower than a full scarab, she can use three at once with her tendrils. The biggest constraint is energy, as synthesising certain exotic types of matter is highly energy-intensive.

  The scarabs themselves recharge much faster while in proximity to one of the Starsteles. I get the sense that, at some point, it would be more efficient to make a Canoptek Spyder to make and manage more scarabs, probably around thirty or so units.

  While fabricating the parts for Delta-A3, I consider the pros and cons of fabricating a Spyder. It's a large time investment, and the unit will take up space in the Tesseract, but its use for vehicle repair would be immense.

  After a few days, once I have all the parts for Delta-A3, I task the scarabs and the Wraith with producing a Canoptek Spyder. Just a standard Canoptek Spyder with a Fabricator Claw Array, with no Gloom Prism or Particle Beamers. Storing them all won't be a problem with my Tesseract Labyrinth.

  I retrieve a set of the bulky Hyperphase weapons, a pair of Hyperphase Threshers. With some careful manipulation and a lot of help from AME, I manage to disassemble the weapons and, from the parts, produce two more typical Xenophase Blades. "That worked?" I mutter, looking surprised. I glance down at the mark Mag'ladroth left on the back of my hand for a moment.

  I go to test one of the blades, but I immediately notice a problem: the blades are far too big for normal human hands, they're Astartes-sized, making them unwieldy at best for me. Thinking quickly, I summon Brother Cogfist to my forge space.

  The moment he arrives, I push the blades at him. "Brother Cogfist! You found these two Xenophase Blades in the Processional." I smile innocently.

  Cogfist looks at the blades, glances past me at the pile of leftover parts still on my workbench, then back down, staring at me with a complicated expression. "Yes, Lady Cavalerio. How fortuitous that two more relics have been recovered. I am sure the Deathwatch would welcome them." He studies the blades carefully, hefting one in each hand. "They look unused. No wear at all. One might think they're brand new."

  I wince. "Indeed. Feel free to use them in the meantime. Make sure they function and whatnot," I reply politely.

  "Are there any more relics I need to return, Lady Princeps?" He asks as he tests the power fields on the two single-edge blades, they crackle to life with a lovely blue-green energy.

  "Not… currently. But… I am still doing… inventory," I admit with a grimace.

  His gaze shifts to the Scarabs working over the large pile of slag and scrap waste from the forge that will become a Spyder in two weeks. "Yes… Inventory."

  "Those are mine. I stole and hacked them fair and square." I say defensively.

  "I must return these to the armoury. Good day, Lady Princeps." Cogfist turns to leave, shaking his head.

  Before he reaches the threshold of the forge, I call out, "Hypothetically… If someone could get more. Would you want more?" I ask, being as subtle as a brick to the face.

  "Yes. We would gladly accept more relic blades of this quality if you happen to discover more, Lady Princeps." He says before walking away.

  "Noted! Thanks!" I reply with a smile.

  Only once he is gone do I go back to my inventory. The racks of melee weapons I 'stole' have fourteen C'tan Phase Weapons. The smaller weapons had been tucked away under the rest. I set aside a dozen of the phase blades; they'll be useful on Cypra Mundi. Another dozen Phase Swords, and the rest are a small smattering of various larger hyperphase melee weapons. A trio of Warscythes, another pair of Threshers, a Hyperphase Reap-Blade, a single Harvester, and a single Glaive.

  I don't want to mess with the C'tan Phase Blades; they can be used as is, but tweaking the Hyperphase Swords for human use will be much trickier. I'd like to make a thinner, longer set of blades for Delta-A3. The Threshers and the Reap-Blade, at least, are useless without extensive modifications. After all, I don't have any Skorpekh Destroyers to use them. That gives me at least three more blades, possibly more. The Reap-Blade could probably be several single-handed blades or a great weapon. The Glaive and Warscythes are usable as-is with minimal modifications.

  I want to get my Necron tinkering done now since I'll need to store all my Necron items in the Labyrinth when we visit Cypra Mundi. A shame, because I really like my new cloak.

  "AME if I paint the scarabs bright yellow and call them Minions, do you think anyone would notice?" I ask, tapping my chin.

  AME turns to stare at me, confused by the reference. "User: Nicole. Yes, Xenos hardware is deemed obvious. Paint as camouflage is deemed insufficient. Can I eat that, please?" she asks politely, eyeing some of the scraps.

  "I figured. Oh well. In private, once completed, the Spyder can help with Titan repairs," I say as I toss a sliver of the excess Necrodermis to AME, who greedily snatches the treat out of the air.

  —----------------------------------------------------

  A week later, Master Doll manages to pull himself away from the final tuning of the first working nano-forge to observe.

  "Alright, AME, you can eat this, try to focus on extracting the schematic and only minimally increasing your mass." I can feel her excitement through our link as she examines the defunct but intact Void Abacus.

  We watch as she flits down and then digs into it with her beak. Ripping into the outer casing with gusto as she gnaws away at the internal components. She slips into the hole of the casing like an invasive parasite, burrowing her way inside with her tentacles, vanishing a moment later. The sound of metal shearing and components crunching is viscerally audible.

  Peering into the hole, I spot a strange array near the center of the device. Rows of black beads are seated on metallic strings. "Wait… It's a literal abacus?" I ask incredulously.

  "Curious," Doll replies, his Auspex array trained on the scene.

  AME crunches down on one of the beads and pauses for a few seconds as she chews the unusual material.

  With our connection, I watch as she identifies it as 'Void Glass?' What is that… oh, it has a longer name… Synchronized Resonant Void Obsidian? It's obviously some sort of warp-reactive material. AME spits out the remains of the bead without integrating any of it. AME is much more interested in certain parts of the metal components. By the time she is finished, she's grown from roughly housecat in size to small dog.

  "Well… The good news is we got the schematic. The bad news is that this Void Glass material is an absolute chore to produce. The beads have to be made to an exacting specification, then linked into the abacus array and harmonized," I say, sharing the data with Master Doll.

  He studies the schematic while AME uses her other new ability to carefully break down the broken bead fragments into energy. I have her leave one string intact to use as a reference and for the team to study. "As it would require your and AME's aid to produce such a psychoactive material consistently, I don't think manufacturing Abaci would be worth it to us. Cypra Mundi has advanced processing facilities for just such materials. I expect this schematic will hold considerable value, along with considerable political baggage to be discussed with the Navis Nobilite."

  I make a face, "That's true, they're probably going to throw a fit. Even if we explain it's an aid for them to help them avoid getting lost in the warp and dying horribly." I shake my head in exasperation.

  "AME's processing and integration of the material was fascinating. Certainly worth further observations with other rare materials and items at some point," Doll says.

  I nod, "We can do that. Though I am not sure how big I want her to get."

  "I did notice she seems to have procured a new ability to break down matter. Unrelated to her original one." Doll says, giving me a look. "Does this have something to do with the Xenos construct you're producing?"

  "She got it from eating several Necron scarabs. It's incredibly useful to break down matter into energy. She and the scarabs can use energy to produce materials as well, but it's very energy-intensive for rarer, more complex things like adamantine. But yes, the remaining scarabs under my control are making a larger unit called a Spyder; it will be of immense use for larger repair projects, like the Titans. Don't worry, I'll keep all the Necron automata and devices hidden in storage when we reach Cypra Mundi," I reassure him.

  He nods, "I do not doubt you have full control of them. However, such objects, particularly those of Necron origin, are often highly contested amongst the Mechanicus," he admits as he retracts his Auspex.

  "I know. I have some extra Necron Hyperphase blades to use as bribes. If you or any of the Magi would like one, just let me know. Though certain configurations are in limited supply," I admit with a cheeky grin.

  "I… will consider it. Given their precision, there may be a few parts for a personal fabrication project I may ask for your assistance with." Doll replies critically.

  "Sure. I can also send you the data I am gathering on the scarabs' fabrication capabilities once they finish production on the Spyder," I say as I tap my dataslate and forward the Abacus schematic from AME to the Argent Drake's cogitator bank.

  "I would very much like to examine that data," he admits. "Now I must get back to the nano-forge. We have procured the feed materials and are running our first test production run."

  "I gave the forge a once-over with my Technomancy yesterday. It should be fully operational. As long as we follow the schematics from Cobalt, it should work," I reply as I give AME an affectionate pat.

  "I will call for you if I believe your assistance is required. You can continue working on your own projects and get some rest. Do not forget we have a critical staff meeting with Arken in a few days," Doll reminds me.

  —----------------------------------------------------

  I take my seat at the table, Lord Drakios has arranged, for the meeting

  "We have decided on our route based on the location information of the Craftworld provided by Anvial. We will exit the Webway and make our way out of the local system. From there, we will jump to the Mordian system to make a short resupply before taking the Mordian route to Cypra Mundi. Lily believes the corridor should be stable. This will allow us to refill our dwindling food stores and test the Abaci. Does anyone have issues with this course of action?" He asks, looking around.

  I wince and quickly file a high-priority request through the Noosphere with the Emergency Repairs III.

  Master Doll and the Magi all turn to stare at me. "Nicole, what was that?" Xor inquires.

  "Hmmm?" I respond, blinking innocently.

  "What did she do?" Lord Drakios asks.

  "She placed a high-priority production request for Nova Cannon shells," Doll said aloud.

  Now everyone is staring at me. "The Moridan route sounds great. I am nearly certain that is the quickest route to Cypra Mundi. It's just… Mordian might be a bit… contested." I admit politely.

  "How do you know that?" Captain Bolaar asks.

  "How willing are you to have your memories purged if I tell you?" I ask him seriously.

  "This is from that classified Xenos thing, isn't it?" He pinches the bridge of his nose.

  "I will neither confirm nor deny that," I say pointedly. "My information indicates that Mordian and the entire Stygius Sector may be under siege from Chaos forces, specifically those tied to The Changer of Ways. In equally concerning news, the Blood Angel's homeworld of Baal is about to be attacked by a massive Tyranid Hive fleet, a Leviathan splinter specifically. We should pass that along to any we run into." I look around the room and shrug, "I have a lot of other strange information, most of which is useless and totally beyond our means to affect or contribute to. That being said, we should be ready to skirmish the moment we enter Mordian. Scan any visitors and supplies thoroughly and be ready to leave depending on the enemy presence in the system."

  Astrovas starts flipping his tarot and furrows his brow as he reads the cards and then reshuffles the deck. "The tarot supports her claims."

  "We'll have half a dozen plasma shells ready by the time we reach Mordian." Xor replies curtly.

  "In more immediate concerns, we need to fully check that the Warp shutters are fully functional on all three vessels. I also need to share the results of my visit to Cobalt. I… exposed her to PR-103 at her request. I have a recording of the result." I say as I connect to the projector.

  I pull up and play the segment of Cobalt electrocuting Pride. "His presence was not well tolerated. I would also like to note that Cobalt's spirit is more than capable of doing that, or worse, almost anywhere to anyone inside her hull."

  "Nicole, is that manifestation something only you can perceive?" Magos Altair inquires, studying the display intently.

  Several of the Tech-Priests present mutter prayers to the Omnissiah.

  "Negative. Cobalt is fully capable of manifesting a digital avatar and communicating. Individuals we pull for her crew should be well-behaved and comfortable around technology at a minimum. Her combat potential is likely higher than the average Tiamat class. Her weapon systems are so arcane that I cannot parse how the main lance or prow weaponry operate. The dorsal silos are… extremely advanced plasma manipulation systems; the operational schematics, which we have, would be of immense interest to Ryza."

  "I think we have strayed well off topic," Drakios replies, while clearly tucking that bit of info away. "We'll have crews start running combat drills. Each vessel will need defensive teams, a bridge crew, and gunnery crew training. Regarding Cobalt… we will provide a hundred crew for initial exposure. The spirit should be made aware that she can reject any of the candidates. Preferably without killing them."

  "I can let her know. Her internals have damage that I would like to address if we could take a day or two outside the Webway to install her replacement Gellar field. Even if she will be ferried by the Emergency Repairs III."

  "We can afford a day or two after we distance ourselves from the craftworld to do final checks and minor repairs. We should test fire some of the weapons and point defenses on our new vessels as well." Drakios agrees easily.

  "We have good news to share," Doll says, glancing my way. "We have successfully produced a working nano-forge from the remains of the Yggdrasil printer, and it has been modified to produce the archeotech genetic scanner. It will take roughly a week per unit to produce, as long as it is provided with an ample supply of the required materials. Some of which we only have in a limited supply. I believe we should plan to trade the forge to Cypra Mundi when we share the schematics."

  "I'm fine with that," I say with a nod. "But we'll need to figure out what we want for it in exchange."

  The other Magi all agree, tabling the matter for now, and the discussion moves on to the current timetable and logistics.

  —---------------------------------------------------------

  POV: Princeps Candidate Nyanko

  Nyanko rubbed at her neck, her new MIU port was still tender after her latest round of implantation. She loved her new internal aural implants that enhanced her already impressive hearing, but could protect and muffle sounds that were once painful, and accessing the Noosphere on a whole new level was incredible. She was far from the only candidate who had gotten their new MIU.

  "I think our teachers might be sadists." She complained as their class headed to the bay containing the Knights.

  "Possibly," Robin replied as she fixed her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail and then a bun. All the students with long hair eventually learned to keep it away from moving parts.

  "It is an effective method for educating us," William said, though there wasn't much enthusiasm.

  They had sorted the parts in the first week. The Princeps had briefly stopped by, congratulated them on the sorting, and then told them their next task was to put the Knights together.

  Their teachers allowed them to access the schematics, but they had been chopped up and piecemealed. Worse, in her opinion, they only told you if you put the section together properly at the end, and if she was wrong, they made her disassemble the part and figure out herself what needed to be fixed and do all the rituals and assembly over again. They never got assigned the same type of part back-to-back on the various Engines either.

  It had been a slogging grind as they learned the systems. Nyanko thought she could probably put together the Styrix ocular augmetics array blindfolded by now. That thing had been the bane of her existence for days.

  Yip flicked his ears, he had also gotten the aural implants, but he was constantly fiddling with their settings. "Today, we get to put together one of them, right? We're pretty much done?"

  "Yes. The Knight Styrix or the Castellan will be first." Genta said confidently.

  Nyanko sighed, "I know the height and tonnage of all five Engines, but they still feel so much bigger in person. Especially now that they're getting assembled."

  "I know, right? I wonder who will get to try piloting one of them first." Robin said wistfully.

  Z0-0M groaned, "We've got so much simulator time to log before any of us try the Ritual of Becoming with an Armiger, let alone the bigger Knights. The maniple for a Titan is so far away."

  Genta stuttered in her pace as she spotted something ahead, her eyes widening. She pinged the group in their new private chat, "The Princeps is here."

  As they got closer, Nyanko spotted the back of Lady Cavalerio's robe. She was wearing the ornate blue Tempestus one with the Titanicus T emblazoned boldly across her back.

  Nyanko stood straighter as she and the other candidates assembled in the center of the module.

  "Hello, cadets." The silky voice bloomed inside Nyanko's head, laced with authority. It was slightly intimate and invasive. Nyanko hadn't expected it and wasn't the only one in the class to flinch. "It seems you've all taken well to your implants. You've done well learning these Engines over the past few weeks. Now you will assemble the Knight Styrix and the Knight Castellan under the watchful gazes of the Enginseers and I."

  Lady Cavalerio placed her arms behind her back as she studied the crowd. Her rare familiar hovered nearby. Did it get bigger? Nyanko wondered for a brief moment. "You may begin. A piece of advice. Skip no steps. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast."

  The students immediately split into two groups. Nyanko headed for the Styrix. "I can handle the head if someone can help manage the crane." She volunteered.

  "I'll do it," Yip said as he joined her.

  "I'll handle the Styrix drive. Robin, can you get the left arm and Z0-0M get the right?" Genta asked.

  "You're leaving me to handle the cockpit?" William asked, making a face.

  "Unless you want to do something on the Castellan," Genta gestured, most of the less confident students had headed for the easier Engine.

  "Fine. But I'm gonna need at least four people to help with the throne and the cables." He grumbled as he pulled out a tool and an incense burner.

  Nyanko worked hard for the next few hours as the Engine came together, the words from the Princeps echoed in her head as she muttered the proper rites. They finished the Styrix just ahead of the Castellan.

  They shared looks of pride and high fives, uncaring that their hands were stained with various oils.

  "Well done!" The voice of the Princeps came from behind them, making everyone but Genta jump. She gazed fondly at the Engines and then smirked, "Now for the final check." Her eyes flickered for a brief second, "Awaken." She snapped her fingers, and the engines thrummed to life as their reactors kicked on. The entire class erupted into cheers as the Princeps nodded in approval.

  Nyanko felt a massive surge of relief as she looked up at the Engine she had helped build with her own hands.

  Another snap barely audible under the loud noise of the Engines as they powered back down drew her attention back to the Princeps. "Now, do you all want to do the other three?" Nyanko felt a moment of panic and horror at the idea, and someone nearby whimpered.

  "Just kidding! You can all relax. I'll handle the remaining three. Please retreat to the marked area." Nicole gestured, and a highlighted area appeared through a Noosphere overlay.

  Nyanko shuffled over and was about to ask what was going on as the Enginseers and other Teachers were also retreating, leaving the Princeps standing alone.

  Genta shushed her gently. "Shh. Just watch. This is going to be wondrous."

  Lady Cavalerio pulled down her hood and spread her arms wide. A strange pressure surge through the chamber, and Nyanko felt the fur on her tail stand up as a charge filled the air. "Engines of the Omnissiah! I command you! Reforge!" The Princeps glowed, and energy crackled around her. Nyanko watched, her mouth agape, as the massive parts and completed modules levitated into the air and began assembling themselves.

  The metal itself hissed as the areas requiring joins fused, cables writhed like tendrils as they slotted into their ports. The dance continued as the engines were built from the feet upwards. What had taken them hours took the Princeps less than an hour. Nyanko didn't know what strange sorcery she had just seen, but it was fantastical.

  The final result was three fully assembled Knights. Their armoured carapace plates gleamed as if they were factory new.

  The Princeps sighed, "Ah… We are still going to need to paint them."

  "Lady Cavalerio, are you going to try piloting any of them?" One of the students boldly asked.

  "I will have to refrain. Based on my experience with the Sword of Vengeance, when I link with a Knight, my presence completely overwhelms the Machine Spirit, which might be beneficial if the spirit was particularly obtuse or uncooperative, but it also renders it bereft of certain behaviors and instincts that aid the pilot. The spirits within these Engines are still in the process of reforming." She explained as she studied the engines with a critical eye. Ignoring the incredulous looks she earned from the class and the staff at her statement.

  "I didn't think it was possible to completely overwhelm such a powerful Machine Spirit," Nyanko whispered.

  "For normal humans, it isn't. Our Senioris is a living Dark Age relic." Genta replied, her tone reverential.

  "Students! Once again, I bid you congratulations! You have taken a step closer to your goal. You have the rest of the day off! Dismissed!" The Princeps declared as she departed.