Several members of the Adeptus Mechanicus were sprawled across the enormous Ork warship.
Perhaps they could be called machine-men. Beneath their crimson robes, not a trace of flesh remained.
Only mechanical appendages of various sizes remained. Some were tentacle-like, while others resembled precision-engineered mechanical arms.
"Haah~ Haah~ This is the smell! This is it!!"
"This is one hundred percent Ork technology! These rough lines, these illogical connections between circuits, even the stink of the machine oil~"
"Haah~ Haah~ It's just too wonderful!!"
Kelbor-Hal lay sprawled across the Ork warship, constantly breathing in the scent lingering in the air.
He kept tapping and prodding at everything around him, by turns entranced, frenzied, and even occasionally falling into a depression.
The others around him were just as greedily laying claim to the Ork warship.
"So these are the high-ranking leaders of the Martian Adeptus Mechanicus you mentioned, Six?"
Francis's mouth twitched as he stared at the people on the warship, who looked like they were insane.
"...Uh, yeah. Can't you see those Warlord-class Titans on their ships?"
Leman Russ grabbed Francis by the head and turned him toward the other ship, pointing at it.
At that moment,
several Warlord-class Titans stood lined up on the deck of the Apocalypse-class battleship.
These super-war machines, second only to battleships, stood dozens of meters tall. Their entire bodies were covered in thick alloy armor, every plate precisely calculated and designed.
All kinds of weapons systems were embedded in their bodies, from high-energy laser cannons to Grav-cannons, particle-beam emitters to plasma missile launchers. Each weapon was capable of changing the course of a battle.
Beneath the enormous shadow cast by the Apocalypse-class battleship, countless "Forgetters" gathered on the ground.
They were even lower than Servitors, which at least knew how to obey orders—nothing but mechanical walking corpses.
Their bodies had been replaced with filthy, rusted machinery. Even the parts of their brains responsible for consciousness had been completely removed, leaving only the "wetware" capable of carrying out instructions.
Rather than machinery being embedded in flesh, it was more like flesh had been embedded in machinery.
Even if they stripped the flesh from tens of thousands of "Forgetters," they probably wouldn't have enough to assemble a few whole corpses.
"Gollum~ He's making quite a show of it. What kind of person is he in the Adeptus Mechanicus?"
Francis swallowed. He could smell the stench of rust mingled with flesh.
"Some kind of general, I think. He said that if they weren't allowed to study this, the Adeptus Mechanicus would consider cutting back on production."
The thought gave Leman Russ a headache.
Magnus was looking around too, but he frowned instinctively when he saw the "Forgetters."
"Who called these people here? Don't tell me it was one of the Adeptus Mechanicus priests on your ship?" Francis asked, confused.
But someone immediately ran over and answered excitedly, "That's right, Lord Francis! I was the one who sold you out!"
Leman Russ: "..."
Before long, however, the priest led several high-ranking members of the Adeptus Mechanicus over from the Ork warship.
"Reporting, General. This is Lord Francis. I saw him pilot the Ork warship with my own eyes that day, taking us away from the Ork planet and bringing us here."
The priest knelt before the general, not daring to rise.
"Hello. I'm Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator-General of Mars. You can call me Kelbor."
"We of the Adeptus Mechanicus are very interested in Ork technology. Francis, would you be willing to help us study it?"
Francis looked at the Fabricator-General of Mars, who was about the same height as him, and felt a strange sense of unease.
The other man was absurdly muscular, and his expression was stiff, as if he were wearing a human-skin mask.
"Hello, General. Your subordinate might have gotten the wrong idea. I just happened to trick the Orks into helping me start up the ship. I can't use Ork technology myself."
By now, Francis had completely reverted to his human appearance.
At Francis's denial, the priest immediately grew agitated and shouted, "General, believe me, everything I said is—Aaaaaah~!"
Before he could finish, several mechanical appendages sprouted from Kelbor and plucked the priest's brain out.
Then, as dozens of mechanical tentacles coiled around it, Kelbor extracted all the priest's memories.
"Now I can confirm it. You really can use Ork technology." Kelbor's stiff lips curled into a smile, while the numbers in his eyes changed frantically.
"Hahaha~ Then I might've remembered wrong. I guess I can use a little after all. But we need to get back to Terra, so we probably don't have time."
Francis scratched his head. He hadn't expected to be unable to wriggle out of it.
"We can help you repair the Hrafnkel quickly. We could even prioritize building you another battleship of the same class. How does that sound?"
Kelbor's voice came from behind his human face. Despite having said all that, his lips had only twitched slightly.
"Hsss~"
That offer was awfully tempting. Francis was a little interested.
The Ork warship was usable too, but only he could operate Ork machinery.
He couldn't pilot the warship himself every time they went on a campaign! He was a Primarch, not some ship's helmsman!
More importantly, if he remembered correctly, Kelbor-Hal was the Adeptus Mechanicus leader who supported Horus during the Horus Heresy.
If he could... heh heh heh.
Francis's eyes flickered with uncertainty. In the end, he decided, "General, could I have a word with you in private?"
???
Not only Kelbor, but Leman Russ and Magnus were confused too.
Seeing the bewildered looks on Leman Russ and Magnus, Francis patted their shoulders and said,
"This is core technology. You two don't understand technology, so letting you hear it would only put you in danger!"
Francis also specifically told the people beside Kelbor not to follow them.
They were going to have a "technical discussion" between just the two of them.
To make it easier to demonstrate Ork technology, they went aboard the Ork warship.
The ship's interior was likely full of holes, corners, and cracks. Ordinarily, those places should have been crammed with chattering Gretchin slaves and busy Mekboyz.
After they opened the doors to six busted rooms in a row, they finally found a seventh room with only a few cracks.
"Francis, there's something else you want to discuss with me, isn't there?" Kelbor stared hard at Francis's back. He could smell a scheme.
"Just as I'd expect of the Fabricator-General of Mars! I do have something else to discuss with you." Francis spun around and asked,
"Do you have a dream?"
Kelbor: "??? Huh?"
The sudden change of subject left even the artificial neurons in Kelbor's head unable to react.
"Don't you want to learn about the Abominable Intelligence technology—the AI—of mankind's Dark Age of Technology?"
"Don't you want to acquire more STC templates from the Dark Age of Technology?"
"Don't you want to master the wondrous technology of the Orks?"
Francis posed these questions to him, searching his soul. How could Kelbor possibly not want those things?
After all, the creed of the Adeptus Mechanicus held knowledge to be the most sacred thing in existence, and considered all beings or artifacts that possessed knowledge sacred.
"I do! Of course I do! Do you have a way to get the Emperor to let us study Abominable Intelligence technology?!"
The machinery throughout Kelbor's body began to roar.
"Of course!"
"No way."
Francis waved a hand. There was no way the Emperor would allow the Abominable Intelligence technology that had destroyed mankind's Golden Age to return.
Clang!
"You mustn't joke about knowledge."
Dozens of mechanical appendages shot out from Kelbor. Eradication ray guns, flamers, plasma pistols, Power Axes, and all kinds of other weapons aimed at Francis.
Francis: "..."
"Don't get worked up. I haven't finished speaking. I mean that if you work with me, I can give you Ork technology."
"And I can secretly help you get some technology related to Abominable Intelligence. Once the Emperor retires in the future,
I'll be the one calling the shots! I can give you as much as you want."
Francis gestured wildly with both hands, as though he were drawing a huge, round pie in the air.
"Why should I believe you? How can you prove that you'll be in charge in the future?"
Kelbor put his weapons away. In truth, he was already starting to believe him.
"Didn't you see all those Adeptus Custodes and Sisters of Silence outside?"
"Have you ever seen another Primarch receive this kind of treatment? Not only are other Primarchs following him around, he's even brought along all those personal guards?"
After hearing Francis's explanation, Kelbor thought it did seem to make sense.
Then Francis continued in a lowered voice, "I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else."
"!!!" Kelbor immediately perked up. He loved secrets most of all.
Francis leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Actually, the Emperor hid me away because he was afraid I'd get hurt. You can figure out the rest, right?"
"Those who know, know!"
"Hsss~" Kelbor's augmented brain spun at high speed. That was an overwhelming amount of information!
Before he could fully process it, Francis dragged him toward the bridge.
"Come on! To show my sincerity, I'll teach you how to use a little Ork technology right now."
"Watch closely!"
Before you continue