The announcement issued after the Men of Iron repaired the planet's artificial sun was like a huge stone hurled into a still lake, leaving the Tech-Priests on Lucius utterly bewildered.
A technical visit? The Men of Iron were visiting us?
The moment the announcement was confirmed, a peculiar atmosphere enveloped the entire Forge World of Lucius. Bustle and excitement ran through every inch of the air like interwoven threads.
The Sages and Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus quickly recovered from their brief shock and frenzy. Like precision machines wound tight, they sprang into action, devoting themselves to preparing for this unprecedented technical visit.
Valentin, the second-ranking Sage of the Adeptus Mechanicus on Lucius, stood within the planet's largest Forge Temple.
Inside the temple, arrays of faintly glowing Cogitators gazed silently down like ancient, mysterious eyes. Members of the Adeptus Mechanicus hurried between work areas, the mechanical tools in their hands humming as they worked.
Valentin was a veteran Sage who had weathered centuries and long since discarded most of his biological organs. The artificial mechanical heart installed in his body beat with a steady, regular rhythm, supplying his mechanical frame with an unending flow of power.
Yet at that moment, he felt as though he had returned to his inexperienced youth. The unease and tension he had felt before facing a senior Tech-Priest's rigorous examinations and instruction surged through him once more.
For a fleeting moment, he seemed to feel his long-removed heart pounding wildly in his chest, adrenaline pouring out uncontrollably.
But just as those emotions threatened to spiral out of control, the neural implants in his head intervened.
The circulation pump, inexplicably accelerated under subconscious control, slowed its rotation. Blood flow throughout his body gradually stabilized, and the various hormones mistakenly released by his brain's emotional module were