While waiting for more Astartes Chapters to arrive, and the ships to get a bit repaired and upgraded, I continued my work with the Forge Graia tech-priests, and was given unlimited access to their STC Constructors. Three of them!
One had a domain with power armor and various off-shoots like the Thallax cyborg warriors, one had tracked vehicles, mainly Chimeras and their variants and last Constructor had a wide range of bionics and brain implants, way too many to enumerate.
First things first, I took out the Necron repair orb and fixed the millennia of neglect and harden oil spills and various accidents common to all religious manufacturing, plus holes and gaps left behind by obvious battle damage and percussion maintenance.
Next, I gently and subtly copied their STC database and then began to add my own projects and discoveries, some of which were present but locked or damaged, others completely unknown, like most Ion technology except shields.
I even left a whole file on the Techsorcists warding skills, and also applied them to the Constructors themselves, as to guard them against Warp incursions and malicious infiltration.
The tracked STC was the easiest to use and re-purpose, for obvious reasons. It was relatively simple tech, unchanged for 15000 years or more. Adding the Ragnarok patterns for tanks and transports was quite easy, but creating new STCs templates on the rush was not advised. Forge Graia had extremely well-prepared tech-adepts that would recognize tech-heresy at a glance. Better not strain my relations with them over forceful advancements. I did have plenty of technologies to share anyways, more than they could repay in the next 10000 years, to be fair.
One thing I did do, was mess with a Ragnarok transport template and change it into a tank destroyer pattern, using the Rapier Laser Destroyer template, a small tracked vehicle, already loaded into the Constructor. But I left the power cables and all the targeting logis-engines separate and disconnected, as if I was unable to finish the work. They would know it was me, but also give them something to work on to fix the template.
The power armor STC received all of my known Astartes armor templates, plus several mods and variants obtained or stolen from other Chapters, or from the Deathwatch. I also added the Exo Frames, the Exo Armor and the Invictus Warsuit, since I did have their complete and original STC templates on hand, plus an unfinished Terminator plate suit to give them something to work on.
The Lorica Thallax combined both an Astartes power armor and a Dreadnought life-support systems and limbs into a powerful war engine, which was sadly too damaged to be used properly until I arrived. They could also use my war-clones for the pilot inside, since the clones were more durable and resilient to pain and stress. I matched a few Demiurg weapons to the armor, including Ion Beamers and Las Beamers, beside their original and powerful weapons like the Lightning_Gun or the multi-melta, creating two more Thallax variants for my own needs in this Crusade. Meaning anti-Necron work.
I also inserted Shield Crests on the Thallax, as to give them an energy shield agaisnt the powerful Necron beams.
The last Constructor was the least usable by me, since I was not a real tech-adept. Messing with delicate brain implants was quite delicate, but I did add the hexagrammic data-wards into the STC library, plus the Demiurg Barrier Tech devices like the Warding Staff and Shield, should they ever get to explore it all. There was a gigantic wealth of knowledge in there, and Forge Graia likely used only a few percents.
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Turning off the accelerated time-field, I emerged from the last Constructor vault a bit older and much more tired. Must have spent a century in there, there was so much to learn and see...
"How is it, Lord Lancefire? Where you able to unlock anything?" the Fabricator General asked with a worried voice.
"The truth is, the last Constructor is much too advanced for me. I could only repair it to functionality and peak a little inside the library, but it is too vast for a simple man to understand." I explained politely, and mostly truthful.
I did have some Primarch-grade minds hidden on my Blackstone Fortress than should understand it all eventually, Anzion the most.
"The other two?" the Fabricator Locum asked with no ulterior reason.
"Those were much simpler. I already use tanks and power armor with my units, see?" I quipped with a light voice.
"That you do, and very competently, for a human." the Fabricator admitted with slight envy.
"Here I have the last gifts, a cache of Knight and Titan STCs from my own personal library. Some of them are original and complete templates, others are modified by other people over the millennia, but I tested them at Machine Forge and they work anyways. You saw the Lancefire Knights and the Deus Ex Titans, right?" I asked rhetorically. It wasn't from the goodness of their iron hearts that I received such welcome and access to their priceless STC.
The Fabricator took my data-slates with reverence, and only nodded. "Your holy work for the recovery of knowledge will never be forgotten, Pef Lancefire. You will have our full support in any and all endeavors. Anything you need."
he promised in a grave voice.
"That's great, actually! I did want to ask if Forge Graia would support the Crusade towards the Necrons down south. I saw some awesome Thallax models in your Constructor, maybe you can print a million units and have them escort my forces? Primarch Khan would also be glad, I'm sure. " I exclaimed with a happy voice.
The two Fabricators glanced at each other and exchanged some hidden code. "Resources will not be a problem, not the metal at least. But Thallax warriors do require pilots. Not anyone can become one, same as with Astartes."
"I understand, Fabricator! I will provide the pilots as well, same clade of war-clones I use for the Auxilia units. But, if you want to obtain the Necron spoils, then what is left of this Thallax macro-clade after the Crusade will remain under my command. They will work wonders agaisnt Ork and Tyranids as well." I demanded in a more authoritative voice.
"Blackstone?" the Fabricator asked with a bit of greed.
"Blackstone, Necron artifacts, their planets. Anything you want. I will depart this sector anyways." I proposed and held out my hand.
"Good trade!" both Fabricators exclaimed and grabbed my hand in a mechanical vice.
I would think so too. They extended their reach and fortunes, while I gained a robotic army that I could always repair or replenish with new war-clones.
"Let's get the documents signed then. Words are nice, but I do have enemies too. Better cover myself in legal plating. Adamantium Lex! " I proposed a minute later.
The Thallax may wear power armor and Astartes grade weapons, but they were not Battle-Brothers.
Even a million of them, shouldn't be a problem with the Codex Astartes. Right?