Magos Fathor remained in position, waiting for the Cybernetica Datasmiths to draw near before engaging in a brief, dense exchange of binary data.
Axion could perceive that the curious diagnostic gazes of the tech-handlers had never shifted away from his towering form.
Before long, the curiosity within the Datasmiths' optical matrices warped into reverence and fanatical zeal. They bowed deferentially and stepped back, transmitting a sequence of programmatic overrides to their respective Kastelan Robots. The hulking automata instantly raised the targeting vectors of their high-yield phosphor weapons, tracking them away from the two intruders.
One of the Datasmiths approached a heavy cogitator terminal embedded in the masonry, his cybernetic appendages dancing across the control interface in frantic bursts of keystrokes.
With a resonant, industrial thud, the adamantium blast doors disengaged their locking pins and slowly ground apart to either side.
Axion trailed behind Fathor as they crossed the threshold. Beyond lay an elongated, subterranean transit conduit, its vaulted walls embedded with rows of flickering energy crystals that cast a cold, luminescent glare across the passage. As they advanced down the corridor, Axion's optical arrays continuously scanned the environment, filing detailed analytics on the local technological tier and structural defense mechanisms.
The variety of automated weapons platforms concealed within the reinforced bulkhead plating lay entirely bare to Axion's threat-assessment sub-routines.
At the terminus of the conduit opened a colossal, circular laboratory vault. Resting at the geometric center of the chamber was a gargantuan machine array, its sub-assemblies pulsing with strange, multi-colored static discharges, its chassis engulfed by a dense, suffocating web of hydraulic conduits and heavy power cables.
Surrounding the primary array, several Tech-Priests were deeply engrossed in actuating the manual overrides of their control consoles. Their expressions were masked by a clinical rigor and ritualistic awe; they paid absolutely no heed to the arrival of Fathor and his mechanical companion.
However, a towering figure heavily augmented with premium bionics stood slightly apart from the pool of attendants, his primary optical sensors locked entirely upon the core mechanism.
Magos Fathor stepped forward, broadcasting an introductory greeting to the looming figure.
"Magos Ingres. I present to you a mechanical construct of the ancient epoch, a material manifestation of the Omnissiah's divine will and the most honored guest of Lucius. He has arrived to execute a transaction for the teleportation matrices utilized by our Warp Runners Titan Legion."
Magos Ingres elevated his cranium, his multi-lens gaze settling squarely upon Axion's chassis. Instantly, an error-cascade of physical panic manifested across his posture, and he retreated two clumsy steps in sheer, defensive horror.
"An Abominable Intelligence... How does a silicon sin walk this sanctum?!"
Axion noted the Magos' immediate recognition of his true architecture with a minor processing anomaly, equally intrigued by the visceral nature of the tech-priest's terror. The erratic twitching of the sub-dermal implants across Ingres's remaining flesh was vividly illuminated by Axion's thermal arrays.
"It appears a highly localized anomaly of historical data resides within your memory banks," the machine's vocoder stated. Its flat, unmodulated synthesis sounded exceptionally chilling within the enclosed vault.
Magos Fathor, utterly unversed in the deep-lore implications of Ingres's panic, looked between the two in confusion.
"Magos Ingres?"
Attempting to stabilize the hyperventilating Magos with a sharp binary ping, Fathor pivoted his head toward Axion.
"What 'localized anomaly' do your logic-cores imply, honored guest?"
Axion ignored Fathor's inquiry entirely, keeping his optical focus locked on the trembling Magos Ingres.
"This unit does not come to litigate past transgressions, but to conduct an exchange of technological guidance. The teleportation mechanics you possess hold quantifiable value to this unit, sufficient to offset a portion of the expenditure required for your own technological optimization."
Driven by the internal hormone-regulating augments within his flesh, Magos Ingres gradually mastered his panic. It was evident to him that the mechanical entity standing before him differed fundamentally from the fragmented horrors recorded in his archived memories.
Yet, a palpable dread lingered; past historical traumas clearly haunted the Magos's cogitations.
Fathor, however, possessed no patience for delay. Having witnessed the reality of the Punisher Titans, an insatiable thirst for sacred tech-knowledge consumed his very soul.
"Magos Ingres, this is a technological transaction without precedent. Its worth is grand enough to stir the soul of any tech-adept. I am certain that even the Fabricator-General of the Martian Synod would not spurn such profound enlightenment. This is a divine benediction from the Lord of All Machines."
Ingres was acutely aware that these ancient remnants wielded technological wisdom beyond comprehension. Fathor's frantic words temporarily allowed his lust for data to override his deep-seated anxiety, though his fears were never rooted in the knowledge itself.
"I demand additional parameters of assurance," Ingres spat, his vocal synthesizer crackling. "If I surrender the teleportation schema, these Abominable Intelligences must log a binding directive never to trace the provenance of the technology, nor execute any hostile actions against us."
Axion's electronic eyes blinked in a rapid sequence of calculations before he replied to Magos Ingres.
"Pre-conditions logged and verified. This unit accedes to your terms."
Possessing a specialized, forbidden understanding of the Iron Men, Ingres's tense posture relaxed marginally. He turned and strode down an intersecting access shaft.
Minutes later, Magos Ingres returned, reverently cradling a physically degraded stasis-box.
Accompanied by the solemn chanting of binary hymns and complex rituals of warding, Ingres slowly unsealed the container, revealing several large quantum crystals nested within.
"This technology represents the culmination of countless eons of dedicated research. According to our fractured, fading archives, its genesis lies with the ancient, enlightened forebears of Lucius."
Axion's internal diagnostic systems confirmed that the structural integrity of these quantum data-nodes was indeed critically fragile.
Carefully establishing a data-link with the storage nodes, Axion completed the extraction of the data-clusters within seconds.
As the quantum drives whirred to life and streams of code began to flow into the machine, Magos Ingres kept a hyper-vigilant watch over Axion's every micro-movement, his countenance fraught with lingering suspicion.
The extracted data immediately made it clear to Axion why Magos Ingres had demanded such specific pre-conditions.
This specific methodology was designated as Warp-Targeted Teleportation Technology, and its primeval source was none other than the Federation Academy of Sciences.
It was a highly specialized, unorthodox branch of physics. By installing a custom-engineered beacon within a target construct, a localized barrier akin to a Geller Field could be projected around it. Simultaneously, an external system utilizing mechanics similar to a Warp engine would fracture a brief, localized rift in realspace at a distance.
The beacon-bearing target would then be pulled through the spatial tear, traversing the Empyrean momentarily before emerging precisely at the designated coordinates.
In essence, it was a specialized form of ultra-short-range Warp navigation.
Its range was severely constrained; it was merely a failed byproduct of the Federation's historical research into directional Warp teleportation.
Furthermore, the data-nodes contained more than just blueprint schematics; they held a preserved log written by a Federation researcher.
Following the collapse of the Federation, the Academy of Sciences had found itself under relentless siege by various predatory factions seeking to plunder their experimental breakthroughs and advanced machinery.
To preserve their life's work, a contingent of scientists fled the academy's homeworld with whatever data they could secure.
Deprived of the massive logistical net of the unified Federation, they utilized their remaining security clearances and the chaos of the timeline to appropriate vast quantities of raw materials across Segmentum Obscurus, a region then dense with research outposts.
Upon discovering this hollowed-out, coreless planet, they engineered an artificial sun using inadequate materials to serve as the world's synthetic core. They sustained their research by drawing directly from the artificial sun's immense output.
Yet, in the end, they still failed to perfect the idealized parameters of the Warp-Targeted Teleportation Technology.
Even in its flawed state, the technology incited the rapacious greed of neighboring tech-warlords and techno-barbarians. Driven by necessity, these desperate scientists were forced to plunge into an arms race against their pursuers.
Relying on the absolute advantage of their infinite power source, they successfully safeguarded their intellectual property.
During that dark epoch, the early iterations of the Cult Mechanicus were heavily active within Segmentum Obscurus.
Though the central government of the Federation had shattered, the eccentric technological sub-cult that would become the Mechanicus began to expand at an explosive rate. During the golden age of the Federation, these individuals had been nothing more than wealthy, eccentric tech-enthusiasts.
In those bygone days, these citizens had spent their lives attempting to traffic in military-grade technology and hardware, assets they were strictly forbidden from accessing under Federation law.
Once the old order dissolved, they retrofitted their civilian transport vessels into makeshift "warships" and ventured deep into the ruins of Segmentum Obscurus, scouring the abandoned research sectors like scavengers.
Compared to the savage techno-barbarians and cutthroat warlords of the era, the disciples of the Machine God, while undeniably fanatical and unhinged, were reasonably transactional. Backed by the industrial might of Mars, they were capable of offering vital provisions and material resources.
Consequent to these interactions during the Age of Technology, the Cult Mechanicus gradually took root on Lucius.
By the time the Emperor launched His Great Crusade and unified with Lucius, the world had been completely dominated by the Tech-Priests. As for the descendants of those original Federation scientists, they had long since been assimilated into the cybernetic dogma of the Cult.
Beyond these historical files, Axion flagged several anomalous data-packets hidden deeper within the quantum storage matrix.
The conceptual frameworks and miniaturization schematics for the teleportation field had actually originated from a singular sapient computational node. Furthermore, this sapient node had left behind a corrupted, fragmented audio log:
[System Alert: Activate Defense Automata! These degenerate successors are unworthy to command the knowledge of the Creator. These savages actually dare to plot against my central processing core. Purge… Oblitereate…]
Judging by the temporal markers attached to the log, this event had transpired within the last two to three centuries.
"Data acquisition complete," Axion announced.
"Query: State the exact coordinates of the Hyper-Decryption Core, Osiris."
Axion's synthesized voice remained entirely flat, devoid of any discernible emotional weight.
Yet, upon hearing the words Hyper-Decryption Core, Osiris, Magos Ingres turned on his heel and fled in absolute terror.