Master Kunto

Behind the steel gates stood towering, massive machines and densely packed, intricate instruments. Complex pipes connected cultivation columns that stood three men tall.

The lighting inside was just as dim. Yellowish spotlights cast long shadows behind the instruments, while the liquid in some of the culture dishes and cultivation chambers gave off a faint glow.

Fu Qinghai noticed that the huge machines and pipes had been arranged somewhat haphazardly, as if they had only recently been hastily moved aboard the ship.

Ogedei led Fu Qinghai through the shadows of one enormous machine after another until they reached a broad metal workbench. The glow of white, shadowless lamps spilled down from above it, and a short figure stood before the bench.

The figure, cloaked from head to toe in a dark red robe, looked tiny beside the metal workbench. Even a Space Marine sitting in a wheelchair would tower a shoulder above him. Yet when Ogedei approached, he bowed slightly and addressed him respectfully:

"Master Kunto."

The slight figure turned, revealing an aged face covered in wrinkles and age spots. A mechanical eye set in his right socket glimmered with a dim green light.

He gave Ogedei and Fu Qinghai a cold glance. His dry voice sounded like rusty gears grinding together.

"What is it, Sergeant Ogedei?"

Fu Qinghai's expression remained calm, but inside, he was struggling to suppress the surging waves in the sea of thoughts that belonged to the electronic Iron Man.

Ever since he had seen the two towering robots before entering, the sea of thoughts had been churning as he passed one complex machine after another. Ideas bubbled up one after another. Fu Qinghai had always been intensely curious and eager to learn, and the sea of thoughts only made him more impatient now.

Ogedei said quietly, "Master, I hope you can help this boy undergo the Ascension Surgery."

The robed figure didn't seem surprised by the request. He calmly said to Fu Qinghai:

"Open your mouth."

Fu Qinghai obediently opened his mouth, just as if a doctor were examining his tonsils.

Master Kunto's dim green mechanical eye shifted slightly.

He said, "By the standards of ordinary human dentition, he's about seventeen. You know the ideal age for the surgery. He's a little old."

Fu Qinghai grumbled inwardly, Why not just ask me? Back home on Earth, only horse traders check a horse's age by its teeth...

Ogedei replied, "Of course I know. But I don't think any of that will be a problem for you."

Kunto turned back. Two long, delicate mechanical hands extended from beneath his robe. He bent over the workbench and continued fiddling with it as he said, "It's not a major problem. Take him to begin training. Give me one of your Legion's gene-seed, and I'll grow the organs before the surgery."

Seeing Kunto return to his work, Ogedei hesitated, then couldn't help speaking up.

"Master, as you can see, our Legion is down to very few numbers. I think Locke is a rare talent, and I have high hopes for him. I hope... I hope you'll do everything you can to ensure the procedure succeeds."

Kunto stopped working and turned to look at Ogedei. A dry laugh came from beneath his hood.

"What, Ogedei? Do you think I'm on the same level as those musclebound, clumsy Apothecaries in your Legion?"

Ogedei hurriedly replied, "I didn't mean to question your abilities. I only meant that... every recruit matters to us now."

Kunto turned back again and said calmly, "All right, I understand. Take him to undergo your White Scars' training. I'll handle the rest."

Ogedei bowed once more. "Thank you, Master."

On the way back, Fu Qinghai couldn't help asking:

"Who is he?"

"Kunto Anastasio. A gene-savant, a senior priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus, a Biologis, and an expert on Xenomorphs."

Ogedei listed a string of titles.

"Is he connected to this special mission of yours?" Fu Qinghai realized.

Ogedei looked at Fu Qinghai expressionlessly. "I'll tell you once you're one of us. That includes all those ridiculous, stupid questions of yours."

Fu Qinghai gave an awkward laugh. It seemed Ogedei was still nursing a grudge over being questioned earlier.

A gene-savant was the general term for a Tech-priest in the Adeptus Mechanicus who studied fields such as biology and genetics. The title Biologis indicated his rank and status. A gene-savant of that standing would be a major figure on his Forge World. In terms of strategic value, everyone aboard this escort ship combined wasn't worth as much as the ship itself, let alone Kunto.

The dark red of his robe was a famous color throughout the galaxy: Martian red.

It was the signature color of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

But the Adeptus Mechanicus was the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the Legiones Astartes were the Legiones Astartes. No matter how impressive Kunto was, he wasn't Ogedei's direct superior. Ogedei could have dealt with him strictly in an official capacity. The fact that he'd humbly asked for a favor was, in the end, all for Fu Qinghai's sake.

Thinking of this, Fu Qinghai couldn't help giving Ogedei a grateful look. The burly, A-Fu-headed man, with his face full of coarse features and his short temper, had actually been quite good to him.

The Space Marine Legions called the procedure that transformed ordinary people into Space Marines "Ascension." The very word revealed how many Space Marines viewed ordinary humans: they considered Space Marines a higher form of life than mortals.

That view wasn't entirely without reason. Their powerful, tireless strength, agility, quick reflexes, and regenerative abilities aside, their virtually limitless lifespan alone set them far above ordinary humans.

Space Marines grew old, but none had yet died of old age. They had only ever died in battle.

The ideal age for a Space Marine's transformation was twelve, but that wasn't a major issue. Many famous figures had undergone the surgery when they were already grown men. For example, Qin Xia, the White Scars Legion Primarch's personal guard captain, leader of the Golden Kheshig, and Jaghatai Khan's right-hand man; and Targutai Yesugei, the White Scars Legion's Chief Librarian, leader of the Stormseers, and second-in-command of the Legion. Both had undergone the transformation as adults, even middle-aged men, yet that hadn't stopped them from becoming some of the strongest Space Marines around.

There were even more extreme examples. Kor Phaeron, the adoptive father of Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers Legion, had already been a frail old man when he prepared to undergo the Space Marine transformation. Yet a series of surgeries, bionic organs, and special drugs still turned him into a being whose combat prowess rivaled that of a Space Marine.

If the Tech-priests wanted to do something, nothing was impossible.

However, most Space Marine Ascensions had to account for the cost. The Legion's Apothecaries generally performed the surgeries. Apothecaries were Space Marines themselves, and they were also responsible for harvesting the gene-seed of fallen Space Marines. Their surgical procedures therefore had a failure rate, and failed candidates either died outright or were left permanently disabled.

The latter outcome wasn't so bad. Bionic limb technology was highly advanced, and those who failed could still get by as ordinary crew members in the Legion.

But in most cases, failure meant death.

That was why Ogedei had stressed the importance of success to Kunto. There weren't many suitable young men aboard the ship to spare for the surgeries, and Fu Qinghai was the only one.