Chapter 392: The Invitation of the Dark Mechanicum Queen

The writhing, twisting void.

The shadow of a vast fleet surged toward the Forge World of Galium like a monstrous beast with savage claws.

This neutral zone was a necessary passage—they had to break through as swiftly as possible.

On the bridge—

Eden flipped through the data on the Forge World of Galium as he asked,

"Have those black-oil nuts responded yet?"

Earlier, he had sent a communication directive to the neutral zone in the name of the Devourer and Chaos Reaver.

He hoped they could see reason and avoid unnecessary conflict.

If possible, he didn't want to engage the Dark Mechanicum in battle. Whether aligned with the Imperium or Chaos, the cogboys were among the most troublesome factions to deal with.

Especially the powerful Forge Worlds.

Who knew what terrifying Ark Mechanicus or forbidden technology those black-oil lunatics might unleash?

Take that black-hearted cogboy, Kaul, for example—even Eden couldn't gauge the extent of his power, though he was sure the man could at least wipe out a planet.

Nowadays, the Inquisition no longer allowed him to test weapons in human systems.

As for the Dark Mechanicum, their research knew no bounds.

The fact that this particular dark Forge World had become a neutral zone in the gods' battlefield was testament enough to their strength.

According to Imperial records—

The Dark Mechanicum had split from the Adeptus Mechanicus during the Horus Heresy. Like the Adeptus Mechanicus, they possessed numerous religious systems and factional divisions.

These members of the Dark Mechanicum were branded as tech-heresy by the Imperium and marked for extermination.

Their fall from faith had been a gradual process.

At first, they were simply a group of tech-priests who longed to explore new knowledge and innovations.

But the Adeptus Mechanicus offered no soil in which such aspirations could grow.

Thus, these tech-priests secretly researched forbidden technologies and delved into the mysteries of knowledge.

Gradually—

They became dissatisfied, digging ever deeper into forbidden technologies until they fell completely and turned against the Imperium.

Horus himself had helped facilitate their emergence.

During the Heresy, many Forge Worlds—even factions on Mars—declared their allegiance to the Warmaster in exchange for greater freedom.

They even opened Mars' vaults of forbidden knowledge, unleashing heretical lore and technology, some of which had been tainted by mysterious Chaos code.

Eden strongly suspected that trick was Vashtorr's doing.

After Horus' defeat, the Dark Mechanicum scattered across the galaxy and founded new dark Forge Worlds.

Many of them retreated alongside the traitor legions into the Eye of Terror.

There, they established homes and expanded into a massive power, holding a status within the Eye of Terror nearly equal to that of the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Imperium.

Even under such circumstances—

Many Dark Mechanicum factions still claimed neutrality, unwilling to subject their research to any restraints and even refusing to submit to the Chaos Gods.

Most belonged to no specific Chaos allegiance.

"Definitions of the Dark Mechanicum and Tech-Heresy?"

As Eden read through the definitions related to the cogboys, his brows furrowed deeper.

According to the Adeptus Mechanicus' creed—

Even the most radical tech-priests were expected to avoid certain forbidden lines of research in order to uphold the Omnissiah's doctrine.

Yet the tech-heretics frequently violated these principles to pursue their own ambitions.

From exploring xenos technology, to collecting artifacts from the Dark Age of Technology, and even studying the Warp—

They would dare to develop entirely new sciences, using strictly prohibited methods in innovative combinations to produce revolutionary heretical technologies.

Worse still—

They would openly betray their faith, sharing their creations and internal secrets with those unblessed by the Machine God.

These tech-heretics aggressively pursued new knowledge, testing banned technologies, believing no data, method, or device should be ignored.

They focused on disciplines the Adeptus Mechanicus neglected, displaying great interest in developing Warp-related technologies—

Including weapons of immense destruction.

And these creations often bore the taint of Chaos.

Those fully fallen might become one with their inventions, to the extent that they could no longer receive blessings from the Chaos Gods.

They would draw energy directly from the Warp to power their machines, or even summon and bind Warp entities to serve them—engaging in abominable intelligence and consciousness-transfer practices.

Some would willingly enslave daemons and use Warp energies all in pursuit of knowledge.

"Phew... This is sounding more and more like the Urth Mechanicum," Eden muttered.

It was almost like they were reading out the identification number of him and the entire Urth Mechanicum.

In truth, the Savior himself was arguably the Imperium's greatest "heretic."

And what the Urth Mechanicum had done far surpassed what this definition described. They started off drawing power from the Warp, and eventually moved on to daemon research and feeding infernal engines.

Nothing was off-limits.

They even had the Mechanical Forum, spreading new technology and innovation throughout.

If not for the Savior's overwhelming power, the Urth Mechanicum would probably have already been labeled as Dark Mechanicum by the Imperium and hunted down.

But that was in the past.

Since the grand birthday celebration on Mars, the Adeptus Mechanicus had changed significantly, gradually becoming more open to technical advancements—especially after Vashtorr's death.

Under the Machine Goddess' blessing, they now enjoyed a safer research environment.

Of course, they still forbade certain kinds of Warp studies.

Now the main force behind Warp research was the Urth Mechanicum. Under the protection of the Holy Sun, Little Sun, and Machine Goddess, their studies had become even more radical—

And far less restricted.

Zzzzt—

A faint arc of chaotic energy flickered.

Eden looked up.

Not far away, several bald-headed cogboys in the communications department were tinkering with a machine enclosed in a containment field.

The device continually drew energy from the Warp, and chaotic forces swirled within the isolation field.

The energies within the Eye of Terror were too chaotic, so they had to use special methods to stabilize the signal and maintain reliable communications.

Otherwise, the frequencies would shift every few lightyears, causing delays in transmission.

"By the Machine Goddess! The junk code here is out of control!" one bald cogboy complained.

He probably had to spend more cogcoins to request extra data-processing power—no idea if he could get reimbursed.

The cogboy racked his brain, diligently scrubbing away the chaotic garbage data.

Noticing the Savior's gaze, he quickly turned and saluted.

"My lord, do you require anything of me?"

"No… carry on."

Eden shook his head and let the guy return to work.

If this were the old Imperium, that cogboy would absolutely be branded as Dark Mechanicum—his mechadendrites stripped, and burned alive.

But now, as a member of the Savior's forces, loyal to the Machine Goddess, he was as legitimate as they came.

A shining example of the Imperium's most faithful cogboys.

Eden pondered the Urth Mechanicum's Warp research, feeling a touch of regret.

"Our understanding of the Warp is still too shallow… How can we expect to fight the monsters in there like this?"

To him, the problem wasn't technology—it was how it was controlled and used, staying within safe boundaries.

In fact, he believed their current approach to Warp research was still too conservative, leading to slow progress.

But there was little choice.

Digging too deep risked corrupting the researchers with Chaos, and that would be a disaster.

He had to ensure the purity of mankind.

"Maybe we can try outsourcing some of the research…"

The thought took hold, and Eden began formulating a new approach.

As Savior and sole ruler of the territory, he may appear idle at times—but he was always thinking about development.

Suddenly, an alarm blared.

The fleet had entered a danger zone.

This meant they were now within range of Galium's defense systems—combat could erupt at any moment.

Eden and Dante walked up to the observation dome.

In the distance, they saw a dark, smoke-belching Forge World covered in machinery. Mechanical arks were clearly mobilizing.

Humm—

Two projections lit up.

Aeldari Farseer and the Blood-Eye Ork Warlord appeared as mid-air busts.

The Blood-Eye's crimson eyes bulged as he roared impatiently:

"Savior! Those black shrimp are mobilizin' their troops! Give the attack order already! Me boyz can't wait any longer!"

After days of coordination, the Ork Warlord had subconsciously accepted the Savior as the fleet's supreme commander.

At least, he wasn't going to resist too much.

The Aeldari Farseer's deep gaze projected through the void, full of cryptic weight.

"Inead has granted us a revelation… We must not miss this opportunity for war."

Eden let out a faint sigh.

"It seems war is inevitable…"

He was starting to lose patience. Since those dark cogboys insisted on starting a fight, then they might as well raid the place and break through by force.

With the Orks as the vanguard of the allied fleet, the losses shouldn't be too heavy.

War always came with risks—hesitation would only plunge them into greater danger.

However, just a second before he gave the order to attack—

A transmission came from the Governor of Galium: the Dark Mechanicum Queen, Krasia.

She sounded exceedingly warm and welcoming.

"Honored Devourer, Chaos Reaver, Guardian of the Machine Goddess—Galium welcomes your arrival. We have cleared the spaceport and travel lanes. You may pass through at any time.

Should you be willing, we would be honored to receive you in Galium…"

???

Eden stared at the message, clearly stunned.

Well then, it turned out the fleet wasn't mobilizing for combat—it was just "moving out of the way." Apparently, they'd accepted his terms and allowed the coalition fleet to pass—

Avoiding the conflict entirely.

This Dark Forge World neutral zone clearly had the strength to back its claims.

And it seemed they even wanted to invite him for a meeting on Galium.

Noticing the mention of the "Machine Goddess," Eden grew even more suspicious. Could it be that these cogboys were secretly worshiping the Machine Goddess?

That would make them… unauthorized believers.

But it wasn't out of the question. The Dark Mechanicum's faith was chaotic and disordered, involving custom-made gods, Chaos deities, and even sentient Warp entities.

Many of them had worshipped Vashtorr, the Arkifane and Forge Lord, to gain forbidden knowledge.

Now that Vashtorr had perished, the most active and tech-aligned deity in the Warp was the Machine Goddess—far more helpful than the Omnissiah.

Some cogboys covertly worshiping her was understandable.

To them, Vashtorr and the Machine Goddess were both Warp gods. Perhaps the Machine Goddess was just more generous and merciful.

Seeing this, Eden immediately aborted the attack command and ordered the coalition fleet to accelerate through the cleared route—

Into the next region.

As for himself, he took a squadron of capital ships and headed to Galium's spaceport.

He wanted to see what these dark cogboys were really up to.

Since this was a neutral zone where rival Chaos factions could resupply in peace—

It stood to reason they didn't hold any strong hostility. Perhaps there was room for negotiation.

These cogboys, as neutral parties within the Eye of Terror, provided weapons and repairs to Chaos factions—fueling their conflict and bloodshed.

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

To many, Chaos and humanity were eternally opposed, with no common ground.

But according to the Warp Powers Research Institute, Chaos entities hate each other far more than they hate humans.

Their wars have raged eternally, each faction desperate for the other's downfall—

To carve away more power for themselves.

Humanity is just another player in this vast war of the Warp and the galaxy.

And that opens up many opportunities.

Even Ka'Bandha, Khorne's greatest daemon, could be maneuvered into loyalty under the right conditions—nothing is truly impossible.

Take Abaddon, for example.

His lifelong dream was to become ruler of humanity and master of the galaxy.

If he ever succeeded—conquering Holy Terra and toppling the Imperium—it's entirely possible he would sever ties with Chaos and proclaim himself the new Emperor of Mankind.

He would then wage war against the Warp itself.

That's precisely why the Chaos Gods give him power but still watch him closely.

They must ensure he deals damage to the Imperium while staying reliant on Chaos—never truly victorious.

Eden had one belief about all of this:

There are no eternal enemies. Only eternal interests.

To survive in this hellish galaxy and achieve ultimate victory, one had to make full use of that truth—

And read the board.

If he had clung to Imperial law and dared not touch any of these "taboo" matters, he would've been wiped out alongside Urth long ago, just a planetary governor buried in ashes.

Gazing at the approaching Galium, Eden instructed his staff to prepare communication protocols.

He would probably spend half a day there.

The cogboys were eccentric and difficult to deal with, but he hoped things would go well.

Just as expected, the Dreamweaver encountered no resistance on its approach to the spaceport.

…

Galium

With thick, black steam billowing around it, the Neobia Ring encircled the entire Forge World, radiating an ominous pressure.

This enormous orbital defense system was part of the Dark Mechanicum Queen's confidence.

Even a major fleet would struggle to breach this planetary-tier defense and threaten the surface.

Not to mention—they could always call for reinforcements from other factions.

Galium's Dark Forge World provided repair services and sold Chaos weapons and daemon engines—

Cheap and reliable.

No one wanted it to fall.

When Eden, the honored guest, arrived at the spaceport, it had already been cleared.

A few Chaos warband ships still undergoing repairs were pitifully towed away and tossed out into distant space—

To avoid disturbing the mood of the Machine Goddess's guardian.

"You black-cog bastards! Are you trying to start a war with us?!"

A warband leader furiously confronted the cogboys—

Only to be told that if they kept it up, repair fees would double, or worse, they'd be banned from the neutral zone altogether.

That shut them up real quick.

In the Eye of Terror, resources were scarce. Most Chaos warbands lacked the tech or tools to maintain their large ships and gear.

Even if they had tech-sergeants, they could only manage minor repairs to armor or bolt weapons.

These warbands burned through gear rapidly thanks to constant battles.

If their ships weren't maintained, they wouldn't even be able to leave their hideouts.

What were they going to do, shoulder a bolter and fly out into space for a firefight?

The warband leaders looked at the cogboys—and at the heavily armed Steel Warriors behind them.

Then they glanced at the shredded corpses of Khorne Chaos Marines, torn apart by unknown forbidden weapons and chainswords.

They cooled off quickly.

They were Chaos warriors—not fools. They could read the situation.

At least better than mortals could.

Just as tension lingered—

A group of senior cogboys hurried over. Their attitude was warm but cautious, clearly prepared to welcome someone important.

They set up a cordon—no unauthorized personnel allowed past.

Which was strange.

The Dark Mechanicum were always proud and stubborn—even major Chaos leaders rarely got this kind of reception.

The warband leaders, now blocked off, felt humiliated and furious.

They glared toward the port, rage surging in their hearts—as if they might launch a suicidal attack at any moment.

At the port—

A tall, black-armored figure appeared in everyone's view, radiating overwhelming authority.

That presence seemed to sense the hateful stares and turned slightly, casting its gaze toward them.

"The Chaos Reaver?!"

When the warband leaders saw the figure clearly and met those cold, crimson eyes, a chill ran through them.

They had heard rumors from nearby sectors about the Chaos Reaver's terror.

Worlds razed under his raids—even the flesh of Chaos Marines wasn't spared!

It was said that those who fell into the Chaos Reaver's hands were stripped clean, down to the last bolt—no one knew what terrible fate awaited them.

Some whispered that he was a chosen of Slaanesh, with a… special taste for Chaos Marine flesh!

As the Chaos Reaver looked their way—

The warband leaders quickly lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze.

They feared that provoking this monster would lead to their lairs being pillaged, worsening their already desperate situation.

Luckily, forces loyal to the Chaos Gods were already preparing fleets.

Soon, they would launch a blockade and kill the Chaos Reaver once and for all.

The warband leaders lowered their heads, eyes flickering with killing intent.

They had already decided—they would join the war against the Chaos Reaver.

"Oh no!"

Suddenly, the Chaos warriors seemed to remember something—

And sprinted toward the landing zone like their lives depended on it.

As if their backsides were on fire.

They had remembered their Chaos warships—dumped out into space—

And feared those precious assets might be stolen by the greedy, shameless Chaos Reaver's fleet…

In truth—

Their ships had already been dismantled into spare parts by the Ork horde.

"These guys are weird…" Eden muttered as he briefly glanced at the Chaos Marines before ignoring them.

His gaze turned to the lavish welcome before him. Suspicion and wariness stirred in his heart.

When someone gives you flowers for no reason, it's probably poison.

"Master Devourer."

Suddenly, a rich, sultry female voice spoke…

(End of Chapter)

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