Chapter 49: People from Headquarters Arrive
Julius and the other sages assured Omega that the matter was settled, though they remained somewhat embarrassed by the forge world's underdeveloped state.
Several company commanders nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, believing these zealots of the Machine God remained aligned with their interests.
After establishing a private accord, Julius seized the opportunity to negotiate with Company Commander Skol, arranging a formal meeting with the investigators from headquarters.
The investigators had initially bristled, suspecting Julius of attempting to sow discord. Yet when confronted with such a dramatic reversal, the Alpha Legion, presenting a unified front, had little choice but to file their report to the Martian Mechanicus headquarters.
The report detailed recent investigations into the forge world's development and current operational capacity.
Though headquarters expressed surprise that the Alpha Legion had successfully established a casting world production system, uncertainty remained. They were not yet certain of the legion's loyalty.
...
Seven days later, word arrived from Mars itself.
Headquarters would appoint Julius as Director of Foundry Works, with the other sages serving as deputy directors and filling key administrative posts. They would also dispatch another Mechanicus sage to oversee affairs alongside a contingent of technical priests and supporting forces.
Julius received the news with barely restrained fury. Headquarters still did not trust them. The reinforcements were not a gift; they were a leash, and Mars held both ends.
Inside a high tower of Steel Castle, Omega sat at his desk, sipping hot tea as four Magos, Russell among them, discussed headquarters' intentions.
Their conversation moved through layers of calculation, punctuated by sharp interjections and the weight of unspoken stakes.
The mechanical minds worked with relentless precision, and the discussion stretched for hours.
At last, a consensus emerged. They would adopt Omega's approach: sensitive matters are to be handled discreetly, while routine operations are to be conducted openly and transparently.
But first, they needed to move the three warships carrying alien technology before headquarters arrived. They required concealment.
Russell undertook the task, using an inspection of the Astral Army's fleet condition as his pretext for departure.
Through handling this crisis, the sages recognized Omega's extraordinary aptitude. He had navigated between all factions, preventing catastrophic escalation while safeguarding everyone's interests. They were eager to understand his next moves.
Omega surveyed the four sages before him and spoke after a moment's thought.
"Send technical priests to the auxiliary planets to facilitate large-scale infrastructure projects. What we deem minor undertakings, they will regard as monumental achievements."
"In return, those planetary governments will prove far more willing to supply us with manpower, resources, and materiel."
"Rather than focusing solely on forge world expansion, consider positioning these developments within a broader strategic framework. Do you follow?"
Guts, the fourth sage, stared at him with open amazement.
"Your vision is truly expansive. I support this entirely. It would be elegant to redirect most of the priests sent from headquarters toward this work. A masterful stratagem."
Russell and the others chuckled. Omega remained silent, uncomfortable with the praise. He hadn't truly thought in such grand terms; he understood that the Cult of Mars operated through fractious factions locked in constant struggle. The Alpha Legion thrived in such shadow games. He was merely navigating the currents.
Unable to resupply the fleet with new construction, the warships underwent repairs in Galbray before the headquarters' flotilla arrived. Omega considered the approaching confrontation with quiet satisfaction. Sage Albert would be formidable, but predictable. The Mechanicus always were.
Omega, commanding a fleet of five hundred newly equipped and fully resupplied vessels, translated directly into the warp.
Ten days later, three hundred warships bearing the insignia of the Mechanicus descended upon Sophis.
As Julius, Guts, and Serrit watched the Martian Mechanicus's most elite armada eclipse their world, gratitude toward Omega flooded through them. Headquarters had dispatched not merely a Titan legion, but something far more formidable.
Inside the Steel Fortress of the Forge Master, Sage Albert, newly arrived, robed in crimson and bearing a scepter of office, led his entourage through the construction site. His bearing was one of calculated inspection, cataloguing every detail with the precision of a man sent to judge.
The two sides faced each other across the hall. Albert's scepter struck the floor with authority, demanding silence. He fixed Julius with an appraising gaze.
"This forge world has consumed considerable effort on your part. No wonder you're so reluctant to permit headquarters' involvement."
"How did you reach such a conclusion? Was it that Company Commander Skol? Where is he?"
Julius, gripping his mechanical scepter, responded with a cold dismissal. He ignored the fully armed technical priests flanking Albert and spoke with deliberate clarity, each word a measured blade.
"Leave this matter. These are internal affairs of the Mechanicus and concern neither the Astartes Legion nor you. Do not delay the Emperor's grand designs. Remember, the Emperor himself has designated this forge world a priority project. I am the Director here. You are Deputy Director."
"Your technical skill may not exceed my own," Albert replied, his tone measured but firm. "I am prepared to assume leadership."
Julius and his sages bristled visibly, hands tightening on their weapons.
"You mean to seize authority? You believe yourself capable of confronting three of us simultaneously?"
"Then you admit defeat?" Albert's voice took on a harder edge. "What secrets are you concealing in this forge world? As Deputy Director, I possess the right to know."
He stepped forward, dismissing their anger entirely.
Julius felt his patience fracture. Among the Mechanicus, probing another's secrets was taboo, a transgression that invited a lethal response.
But then he recalled Omega's counsel. He forced himself to calm, and when he spoke again, his voice carried the weight of something far larger than this hall.
"Before conflict begins, consider carefully which legion you serve and what significance this forge world holds for the Alpha Legion."
Albert's expression turned contemptuous.
"The Primarch of the Alpha Legion has not yet returned. Are you sages perhaps more obedient than typical? Or have you already seized control of the legion, compelling them to aid your ambitions?"
"The Alpha Legion has always shrouded itself in mystery. What secrets do they harbor?"
"You may inquire of the Primarch directly," Julius replied with a mysterious smile. "Though if you depart now, you might yet catch him, assuming he has returned at all."
Sage Albert studied the watching crowd, uncertainty flickering across his features. Had the Primarch already returned without announcement? The Emperor surely would have proclaimed such news.
Now the Alpha Legion's mysteries deepened further. And now, the Mechanicus's own operations had become obscured by shadow.
Albert recognized his actual position: an outsider, dispatched ostensibly to cooperate but secretly to surveil, barred from investigating the legion's affairs.
He ventured cautiously forward.
"It appears you are well-prepared to receive me. I have come prepared to make a significant impact. My experience in world-building and forge construction exceeds yours considerably."
"I am the Director," Julius reminded him, sensing the critical impasse had passed. "You are Deputy."
For several minutes thereafter, the sages engaged in heated debate within the Steel Fortress's great hall. When Sage Guts proposed redirecting the technical priests from headquarters to the auxiliary planets, the argument escalated sharply.
Yet the Mechanicus contingent present served the Alpha Legion, a reality that forced Albert to yield ground.
What was meant to be a swift suppression, elite forces deployed to crush any hint of disloyalty, had become a dispute over resource management.
Neither side achieved total satisfaction, but under the astonished observation of countless tech-priests, both finally reached accord: joint development of the Sophis Forge World.
While the Alpha Legion navigated subspace, Omega stood upon his flagship's bridge. Hearing the negotiation results, he smiled with quiet satisfaction. Sage Albert had proven capable of working with them, a useful measure of the man's pragmatism.
When the transmission ended, Russell exhaled with relief.
"That was perilously close. Sage Albert oversaw the construction of the world Shana. Clearly, headquarters sent someone with proven expertise to verify our work."
Omega's smile broadened.
"Perhaps it will prove beneficial. I believe Albert's expertise will accelerate Sophis' development considerably. Sometimes, a fresh perspective illuminates solutions we might otherwise miss."
"There is wisdom in that, My Lord," Russell agreed after a pause, his expression easing. The company commanders around him relaxed visibly.
The forge world's situation, which had weighed heavily upon the Space Marines and the Mechanicus alike, seemed finally to have found equilibrium.
[End of Chapter]