"Master, please spare me, I am still young!"
"You're being a stranger! Call me Believer!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Believer, please let me go!"
"Hmph, young man, I advise you not to be ignorant. Is it such a grievance to join our Lightning Monk Brotherhood?"
I don't want to be in a gang! Look at others, they're called "Titan Chapter," "Source Restoration Chapter," "Magos Chapter," but you guys are called a "Brotherhood"—it doesn't sound like a place where a proper Priest should be.
"Believer, look at my small arms and legs, joining the Brotherhood is too early for me!"
The Blue Man Master nodded and said, "I know. As soon as you reach adulthood, the moment you step through the door, you'll be electrified!"
The Brotherhood is quite particular! Bah! You recruit people by kidnapping, right!
Fortunately, Gamma was young. If he had come a few years later, he would have been fine before entering, but upon leaving, he would have been a shirtless, tattooed (circuitry) Adeptus Mechanicus non-mainstream blue-skinned social idler.
Gamma timidly asked, "Master, why are you keeping me?"
"You came here and want to leave without understanding 'Source Power'? What do you think this place is!"
"Oh, oh, oh, Master, please speak!"
The Blue Man Master sat up straight, settled his Qi, and said, "Our Lightning Monk Brotherhood is not..."
Uh? Hmm! What? Weren't we talking about Source Power? How did it get back to gangs... I mean, the Brotherhood.
Although the Blue Man Master was severely off-topic, Gamma didn't dare to remind him. He just listened to whatever the Master said.
As the Blue Man Master's spittle flew, Gamma began to understand the Lightning Monk Brotherhood. He summarized it into three points: fanaticism, militancy, and internal strife.
Fanaticism and militancy don't need much explanation, but internal strife is worth discussing.
The Lightning Monk Brotherhood has two major factions: Flash of Lightning and Electro Body.
The Electro Body faction believes: The light of Source Power should spread throughout the galaxy, allowing more people to experience the glory of Source Power. Therefore, they are happy to share Source Power with all living beings and machines, regardless of whether they can bear it.
The Flash of Lightning faction believes: Source Power is sacred and precious, and only the devout can keep biological currents flowing within their bodies to sustain life. They are committed to extracting life energy from other living beings across the galaxy, especially the bioelectricity that sustains life activities.
The philosophies of the two factions are completely opposed. When they get together, it's a small fight every three days and a big fight every five days. Historically, there have been multiple factional wars.
The most bloody period among them was the "Schism of Interpretation" which lasted for several centuries. At the end of M39, the Flash of Lightning faction blasted a group of Electro Body members on a pilgrimage to Mars, then immediately started a civil war that lasted for hundreds of years. Traces of the war can still be seen in some areas on the surface of Mars.
Gamma nodded repeatedly, joining the blue man in despising the Flash of Lightning faction's pettiness and shamelessness, muttering internally: They're not even as good as a gang. At least gangs talk about "unity" and "loyalty" in their slogans, but you guys just want to kill each other, openly and secretly.
Gamma, having successfully escaped, scurried home. He didn't mention his day's encounter to anyone. After all, how could a "devout" Believer badmouth another devout Believer behind their back? That's not "correct" at all.
Gamma's inner thoughts: I'm afraid word will get out and the blue man will hear about it and drag me back to be a brother.
"Don't be afraid! Don't be discouraged! The Source Power faction is a minority after all, so it's normal for them to be quirky! If they weren't quirky, how could they be a minority! Tomorrow, I'll go believe in the omnissiah. That's a major faction. You can do it, Gamma!" Gamma, who still felt a slight tremor in his liver when he thought of the Blue Man before going to sleep, cheered himself on.
Speaking of the omnissiah and the omnissiah, it is wrong to view the Omnissiah and the Omnissiah as a single entity.
Although this mistake is common among non-Adeptus Mechanicus Believers, it is enough to displease the omniscient omnissiah.
The omnissiah is a transcendent entity, an integration of all knowledge, data, laws, and essences. According to the Adeptus Mechanicus's own understanding, it should be "ever-changing and unnameable."
And the omnissiah is the incarnation of this entity, the omnissiah's only messenger , according to orthodox doctrine. He should be the Adeptus Mechanicus's educator, guide, and protector, and also oversee all rituals of machinery and technology.
Gamma woke up the next day, tidied himself up, and began his journey of faith again.
A major faction is just different. Look at this bustling crowd of Tech-priest, compared to the deserted appearance of the Lightning Monk Brotherhood. Gamma immediately felt energized.
Following the queue of Tech-priest, Gamma carefully dodged the mechanical hands, mechanical legs, mechanical tails, and mechanical bodies of the Tech-priest around him.
He had to be careful. The haphazardly arranged prosthetics and bionics clearly prioritized maximum functionality, with appearance not being a consideration. The metallic reflections and sharp edges meant a bump could kill, and a graze could injure.
Fortunately, the Tech-priest, who pursued rational efficiency, moved quickly in line. In no time, Gamma reached the front of the temple. At this moment, a "mechanical cockroach" scurried in front of Gamma.
Ah... don't come any closer! Oh, it's a Tech-Priest...
The mechanical cockroach then spoke in a synthesized electronic voice in High Gothic: "This young Believer must be here for the first time."
Gamma looked at the "insect-like" being in front of him, which showed no organic components, and thought that with such a high degree of modification, its status couldn't be low. So, he respectfully replied, "Yes, Great Magos."
"Haha, just a servant of the omnissiah."
"Great Magos, you are too humble. It is a very great thing to let more people feel the glory of the omnissiah!"
Hearing Gamma's "correct" statement, the mechanical cockroach's electronic voice rose by several decibels. "It" said:
"I didn't expect you to have such thoughts and awareness at such a young age. You are far stronger than most Priests!"
Hmm!? What "most"!? No, I have to run!
"Great Magos..."
"I haven't introduced myself yet. Just call me Priest Alpha ."
"Okay, Priest Alpha, my name is Gamma."
"There are fewer and fewer Priests who are willing to acknowledge the philosophy of us 'Preachers' nowadays."
So it's "Preachers"! You smelly cockroach! You scared me!
Preachers are an unusual organization within the Adeptus Mechanicus. They preach the Adeptus Mechanicus faith to Imperial citizens and lead them to join the Adeptus Mechanicus.
They believe that the number of Adeptus Mechanicus Believers must be increased, and by doing so, the understanding of the "Great Work" can be spread. The "Great Work" requires people to achieve salvation only through the knowledge provided by the omnissiah to strengthen body and mind.
The Preachers genuinely believe it is their responsibility to help their compatriots avoid the "curse." They are committed to bringing non-Believers under the glory of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
However, the Adeptus Mechanicus has always been self-sufficient, so most Priests distrust the Preachers' work of bringing outsiders into the embrace of the omnissiah. Therefore, those Preachers are often unwelcome and unaccepted by most Adeptus Mechanicus members.
The Preachers' targets for evangelism are outsiders, which had no impact on a Priest like Gamma. He didn't mind leaving a good impression on the other party: "People are all selfish. It is precisely because of the selfishness of most people that the selflessness of someone like Priest Alpha is even more precious."
"Hahaha, you flatter me, you flatter me!"
It seemed Gamma's flattery was very effective, after all, there were too few Adeptus Mechanicus who knew how to flatter.
Gamma, who hadn't achieved his goal yet and had no intention of getting involved with these Preachers, said:
"Excuse me, Priest Alpha, I came here today because I want to pledge allegiance to the omnissiah, so..."
"I see, I really didn't expect you to have such awareness and clear thinking at such a young age. I happen to have time now, so I'll take you in."
Gamma thought: Since Preachers are responsible for evangelism, they must have a connection with the temple. The impression I left on Priest Alpha should be good. It's always better to have someone familiar lead the way.
So Gamma said, "Then I'll trouble Priest Alpha!"
"No trouble, no trouble."
The mechanical cockroach Alpha led Gamma inside, speaking as they walked: "Although Priests are all Believers, very few Priests find their own path of faith."
"Oh, so I'm not the only one who's lost!" Gamma, disguised as a lost, devout lamb, chimed in.
Priest Alpha, leading the way, continued: "It's normal for you to feel 'lost.' It's already quite remarkable!"
"Ah! Is that so?"
Priest Alpha recalled the rumors about the Fabricator-General's "illegitimate child" and Gamma's appearance, concluding that he was a cultivated person beginning to awaken self-awareness. The fundamental reason for this mistaken perception was Gamma's "pure lamb" innocent demeanor, which was too convincing.
Gamma: If you spent half a year with 1299 emotionally detached, expressionless, and uncommunicative young boys and girls, you'd be good at faking it too.
"I've also heard about your kind. All of you in this batch are victims of 'selfish desires.' The fact that you feel 'lost' so early is already a blessing from the omnissiah."
Regarding Alpha's mention of "selfish desires," Gamma understood it to refer to Archmagos Will's impulsive decision to have Gamma and his batch of siblings "prematurely born" regardless of the reality. However, such "incorrect" words couldn't come out of his mouth.
Gamma feigned ignorance: "Priest Alpha, I don't understand!"
"Everything is the omnissiah's arrangement, all His will. You don't need to understand, just believe in Him, and He will bring punishment upon those who profane Him!"
Gamma: Charlatans' words are indeed always vague.
The two misunderstood each other, and their conversation somehow aligned perfectly.
"Oh, Priest Alpha , what did you mean earlier when you said other Priests haven't found their path of faith either?"
"Unlike you, most of them are forced onto the path of 'mechanical ascension' because their bodily organs are decaying, or they are unable to perform their duties and pursue knowledge."
"Oh..."
Hmm!
"You've only just begun to understand the meaning of 'flesh is weak.' Are you planning to start with your legs or your arms this time?"