Chapter 44: The Armoring Ceremony with the Master of the Forge

The Endurance, Space Marine's Armor Room

Now.

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The dim room was shrouded in candlelight, which gathered in the center of the room.

Branka led Hades inside, his tall figure seeming somewhat out of place in the room.

The veteran guided Hades to the low platform surrounded by candles.

Earlier, Hades had already been asked to wear the heavy black inner lining made of bionic polymer armor and was instructed to memorize a phrase.

However, Hades had no idea what the High Gothic phrase meant—he was only told to recite it at the end.

Could they at least explain what the phrase meant?

It felt like signing a contract of servitude!

In the shadows of the room, Garro watched Hades. He could smell the slight tension in the sweat emanating from the new recruit.

Tsk.

Garro still held some expectations for this new recruit, who would be the last to fight alongside the Primarch.

He hoped he hadn't misjudged him.

The Master of the Forge of the Seventh Company, Enrique, entered the room, followed by a tech-sergeant.

Enrique was clad in Mk3 power armor, and behind him, the servo-arms on his power pack quivered slightly with each step.

The tech-sergeant approached Branka, and shortly, he would lead Hades in reciting the Oath of Allegiance.

Typically, a new recruit's armoring ceremony would be led by a Tech-Priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but with the legion in a transitional phase and a large influx of new recruits, the Tech-Priests were too occupied with the legion's equipment supply. 

As a result, the process was simplified, and each company's tech-sergeants took over the task.

Enrique came directly to Garro's side, where the two stood in the shadows, waiting for Hades' armoring ceremony to begin.

Inside Garro's helmet, a burst of static crackled through the private communication channel.

Enrique's voice sounded, low and clear in High Gothic:

"Branka didn't explain the oath to this recruit."

Garro's gaze remained fixed on Hades, standing at the center of the room, the candlelight reflecting off the black inner armor.

"You've taken an interest in him."

It was a statement, not a question. Garro's voice was calm and steady.

Enrique wouldn't bother saying anything that might seem explanatory for a mere recruit.

The voice on the channel hesitated for a moment before it spoke again.

"I and my colleagues from other companies collected their technology on Barbarus."

"This recruit... not only was he the last to ascend the mountain with the Primarch, but the armor he wears was also designed by him."

His technical skill was impressive, not just in the rational construction of the armor but in the use of a special technique that mixed fibers from a local species of fern into the ceramic-steel plating, enhancing the overall toughness of the armor.

Enrique still remembered seeing the sample armor and the meticulously detailed blueprint. 

The expressions on the faces of the forge masters were telling.

They had assumed it was a leftover technology from the planet, though the design was far more primitive than the current technology of the Imperium. 

However, given Barbarus' economic structure, it was clear that the local people did not have the means to develop such equipment on their own.

But later, they discovered that a member of the local Death Guard resistance had designed it.

Even more surprising for Enrique was that the designer of the armor turned out to be one of the two new recruits in his own company.

He had no idea Garro would present such a gift to him.

To be fair, the Adeptus Mechanicus followed the creed of the Omnissiah, restoring the "original form of the machine" as it existed in the universe.

They were not creating but rather receiving the inspiration of the Machine God, recreating the original form of these machines.

Bold innovation and modification were not allowed; it was considered a heretical blasphemy.

However, there was always a small gap between ideal and reality.

Compared to the Tech-Priests singing hymns in the forge, on the battlefield filled with the roar of cannon fire, unexpected variables were always far too numerous.

Suppose you have a Predator tank, and one of its tracks is completely destroyed, making it inoperable.

Meanwhile, your squad is tasked with taking down a stronghold at a narrow chokepoint.

As the tech-sergeant, do you dismantle the turret from the nearly unusable tank and mount it onto another one, or do you leave it?

Of course, you mount it.

But this action would fall under the category of "blasphemy."

This is why the tech-sergeants in the legion didn't have a great reputation among the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Moreover, Enrique had been closely analyzing the strategic preferences of the Primarch, Mortarion.

The Master of the Forge and tech-sergeants of the Death Guard had noticed that, compared to the widespread use of armored and transport vehicles, Mortarion preferred deploying infantry.

This meant that the already marginalized tech-sergeants, due to their allegiance to the Cult Mechanicus, would see their status diminished further within the Death Guard legion.

At this time, Enrique found himself face to face with a recruit who had a talent for mechanical research and was rumored to be in good standing with Mortarion.

Even if the recruit had a small flaw in his creative desires, it was completely forgivable.

Garro's voice interrupted Enrique's thoughts.

"Don't disturb him during the recruit training period."

Enrique's equipment blinked with red lights as he responded,

"I know that."

The deep, forceful voice of the tech-sergeant broke the silence in the room.

On the low platform surrounded by candles, Hades stood as the mechanical thralls methodically assembled the heavy armor piece by piece onto him.

"Hades of Barbarus."

The tech-sergeant spoke in ornate High Gothic:

"In the name of Mortarion and the Emperor."

"Do you vow to become their silent warrior?"

"Do you vow to become their unbreakable blade?"

"Do you vow to give your all for the Imperium?"

As these words fell, the last piece of armor was attached. Two mechanical thralls solemnly presented a plasma gun.

In the shadows, Garro and Enrique watched the figure on the platform.

"For the Emperor."

A voice, thick with a Barbarusian accent, recited the oath.

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