Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor-Chapter 279 - 280: Forge General of Mars: Heresy, Unforgivable Heresy!

The Imperium lost its critical gateway, allowing Chaos to run rampant with devastating consequences.

It's difficult to say Oud Oudia Raskian bore no responsibility for this outcome.

Furthermore, the Forge General of Mars was not only conservative but also loved hoarding power and stirring up conflicts.

The current decadence of the Mechanicum was partly due to his actions.

Now, the rise of the Mechanicum Forum severely undermined the authority of Mars Headquarters.

Under these circumstances, there was no way the Forge General of Mars, Oud Oudia Raskian, would remain unresponsive.

"Strange, this is too strange..."

Eden stroked his chin, pondering the situation endlessly, but he couldn't figure it out.

Compared to this eerie silence, he would have preferred Mars to show some reaction.

At least then, he could have some clarity.

In any case, the crisis of the Mechanicum Forum still persisted.

The actions of Mars Headquarters, or rather the subsequent actions of Oud Oudia Raskian, would directly affect the fate of the Mechanicum Forum.

Sigh...

Eden let out a deep breath.

He stood up from his chair and walked straight to the balcony, overlooking the brilliantly lit surface of the planet.

"Hmm, it's starting to feel like a world illuminated by countless lights..."

Currently, Urth had achieved full access to water, electricity, and the network.

Wherever there were people—

Even the remote Void Survivor tribes deep in the forests could enjoy these basic facilities.

In recognition of the Void Survivors' exceptional contributions to the territory and to respect their customs—

Eden had specially preserved a large area of primeval forest for them.

Aside from technological advancements—

The territory's infrastructure development was booming, with massive construction efforts taking place on various planets to provide necessary support.

Eden's goal was to ensure everyone could bask in the Savior's radiance.

Doing so would also allow people to contribute higher-quality Hope Energy.

But this was only basic support.

The territory constantly spread the faith of the Savior and issued warnings about the coming war.

A large number of people were recruited into the logistics departments of the Army, agricultural divisions, engineering teams, and mining squads, working enthusiastically for the future of the territory.

Meanwhile, the elite population attended Loyalist Academies, and after graduation, they would serve in various institutions.

Eden looked up toward the moon, where several golden bright points flickered like stars.

These were the purification rings harnessing the energy of the Golden Sun.

Following the advice of the Internal Affairs think tank, he constructed purification rings several kilometers in diameter.

These rings acted as purification gates—

They provided cleansing services for passing ships and those old vessels dragged back from the Warp.

Every ship passing through the purification rings would be subjected to a thorough bath of divine light, completely purging any attached Chaos matter.

Additionally, the rings were guarded by cleanup squads and Space Marines, responsible for purging any Chaos lifeforms lurking within the ships.

Eden observed the scene for a while before returning to his bedroom to rest.

As for the situation at Mars Headquarters, he decided to leave it aside for now and wait for their reaction.

A few days later, he learned of the situation on Mars through scattered posts on the Mechanicum Forum.

The situation was not looking good.

...

A desolate, smoke-choked red planet floated silently in the void.

Around its equator, orbital factories circled, forming an iron-forged ring.

On the planet's surface, endless Hive Cities stretched for dozens of kilometers, their foundations plunging deep underground.

This was the greatest and most sacred Forge World of the Imperium, the Crimson Star—Mars!

As the headquarters of the Mechanicum, countless Tech-Priests had lived here for generations, forming an incomprehensibly vast repository of knowledge.

"There is nothing that will stop your pursuit of knowledge; no one shall hinder your quest to obtain sacred technology; no one can stop you from standing beneath the throne of the Omnissiah..."

These words were once the ultimate truth of the Mechanicum.

However, in the 41st Millennium of the Imperium, all of this was on the verge of collapse.

Rigid hierarchies, rampant academic bureaucracy, and centuries-old information barriers—

Had almost completely sealed off the flow of knowledge.

Conservatism, decay, feudalism, and monopoly; this union of academic personnel was rotting like a stagnant pool of water.

However, not long ago, the sudden emergence of the Mechanicum Forum ignited the flame of knowledge.

The barriers of information were being shattered.

Those lower-ranked Tech-Priests could freely learn and access valuable knowledge that had been out of reach for generations.

Soon enough, the Mechanicum Forum spread to Mars.

But the sparks of knowledge that spread were swiftly extinguished by the conservatives.

Now, Mars was deathly silent, and everyone lived in fear.

Buzzz~

In orbit—

Several massive and hideous signal-jamming devices disrupted all external communications.

More accurately, they were specifically designed to isolate the signals of the Mechanicum Forum.

...

Acid Drop Hive City.

A faint mist filled the air.

For ages, this acidic fog had corroded the Hive City's structures, leaving blotches of dark green rust across its exterior.

"Run!"

A desperate shout echoed suddenly, but the speaker was quickly subdued.

A figure burst from the fog.

It was a young Tech-Priest dressed in filthy robes.

His name was Buna.

Buna clutched something in his arms as he fled desperately.

Behind him came the rhythmic clanking of metal footsteps.

Buna was being hunted by Protective Machine Soldiers.

On Mars, this was one of the most terrifying situations one could face.

However, he had no intention of giving up, nor did he plan to surrender what he was holding. Because... it was his only hope!

More hydraulic fluid was injected into Buna's mechanical limbs, propelling him forward with even greater speed.

In just a few seconds, he had fled over a hundred meters away, disappearing into the complex mechanical streets and alleys.

However, the mechanical bodies of the Protective Machine Soldiers were far more advanced, much faster, and equipped with tracking augurs.

They quickly locked onto Buna's trail.

"Warning! Warning!"

The cold, mechanical voice of the Protective Machine Soldiers sounded, emotionless and unyielding:

"Detected contraband! Surrender it immediately and await judgment!"

"Target escaping. Initiating pursuit protocol. Lethal force authorized..."

"Target locked!"

The Protective Machine Soldiers raised their plasma carbines, aiming at the fleeing figure.

Zzzla~

Several beams shot forth.

The young Tech-Priest's limbs were melted off in an instant.

He abruptly lost his balance and crashed to the ground, the data plate he was holding flying from his grasp and landing on the street.

The Protective Machine Soldiers seized him, locking him down as they pronounced his crimes:

"Apprehension complete. Crime… Technological Heresy. Punishment… Removal of mechanical parts, forced labor!"

"That is not heretical technology!"

Oil continuously dripped from Buna's body, splattering across the ground as he roared with anger:

"The Mechanicum Forum contains no evil technology! The knowledge shared there comes from the sharing of seekers!

The network there is cleaner and purer than all the communication networks on Mars!

All we want is a chance to learn! What is so wrong about that?"

But the Protective Machine Soldiers completely ignored the words of this so-called technological heretic.

His pleas and arguments were meaningless.

And he had no right to appeal.

One of the soldiers walked up to the data plate adorned with several Webby emblems, scanned it, and issued a command:

"Contraband detected. Execute destruction!"

"No!!!"

Under Buna's furious gaze, the Protective Machine Soldier stomped down on the data plate.

Then it fired a jet of flame to completely melt it into molten slag.

At this moment, all hope within Buna's heart was shattered.

The opportunity to learn and gain knowledge that he had dreamed of was cruelly destroyed.

Buna was born to a lower-class Tech-Priest family on Mars.

Compared to slaves and laborers, his birth was considered a fortunate one.

His family had served a certain Tech-Magus for generations, responsible for maintaining and repairing a weapon-manufacturing machine.

All the knowledge possessed by Buna's family was related to that ancient machine.

Beyond that, they had no opportunity to access other knowledge, nor were they allowed to.

Even the most talented individuals faced the same fate.

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Buna's life was essentially determined from the moment he was born.

He would receive a permission contract, learn the maintenance knowledge of that machine from his father, and—

Once he officially became a Tech-Priest, his entire life would revolve around that machine, with no other possibility.

The rest of the translation will continue in the next message.

Even more frightening was the fact that he had absolutely no right to refuse.

According to a confidentiality contract from centuries ago—

His family was bound to stay at the Tech-Magus' factory to prevent valuable mechanical knowledge from leaking out.

Even though that mechanical knowledge had long since become outdated, replaced by more advanced technological systems throughout the various Forge Worlds of the Imperium.

Buna had even attempted to file appeals to renegotiate the contract to gain more freedom.

But they didn't even have the right to meet the Tech-Magus.

Despite serving him for generations, Buna's family had not seen the Tech-Magus in nearly two hundred years.

They didn't even know if the Tech-Magus was still on Mars or if he was even alive.

Those lower-class Tech-Priest families could only follow agreements made centuries or even millennia ago, receiving meager salaries, and repeating the same fate over and over.

Their sole purpose was to maintain the weapon-manufacturing factory's operation.

Even though that factory hadn't received a new order in over a hundred years.

They would maintain the machines, produce weapons, send them to storage, and have ships come to take them away on the same schedule.

Year after year, the same endless cycle.

Buna was intelligent and learned quickly. Within a short time, he had mastered the skills to repair the machine.

Under his management, the centuries-old machine operated perfectly, rarely malfunctioning.

If given the opportunity, he could even build a better machine.

During his spare time, he was always eager to learn something new.

However, Buna had no means of accessing new knowledge.

The information barriers were like a towering mountain, blocking most seekers of knowledge.

Unless—

He was willing to risk venturing into the black markets of knowledge to obtain forbidden knowledge.

But the risks were far too high.

The knowledge from the black market often contained unknown dangers and was constantly targeted by the Protective Machine Soldiers.

One of Buna's friends had been convicted of technological heresy for obtaining forbidden knowledge from the black market.

He had his electronic brain removed and was reduced to a slave.

Years of monotonous and bleak days passed by.

Finally, Buna could no longer resist and ventured to the knowledge black market.

There, a member of the Webby Faithful gave him a data plate and an emblem of Webby.

These items became the only light in his life.

Through the data plate—

Buna entered the Mechanicum Forum, a dreamlike new world with endless knowledge awaiting him to explore.

There, he learned all kinds of mechanical knowledge he was interested in and even published many of his own ideas.

His creations were praised by many members of the forum.

Some sages even praised his talent, saying that one day he would surely become a Tech-Magus.

Sometimes, Buna would think—

If only the Magus his family served was as open-minded as the sages on the forum.

But that was nothing more than a fantasy.

Because the Magus his family served belonged to the faction of Mars Forge General Oud Oudia Raskian.

They were extremely conservative, valuing hierarchy above all else, and almost never shared or updated any knowledge.

Even the weapons produced by that factory were outdated designs from centuries ago.

Weapons that were both overpriced and of inferior quality.

But because of the status of the Forge General of Mars, the weapon factory still received permanent orders from the Astra Militarum.

If nothing changed—

All of this would continue for hundreds or even thousands of years.

How long it would last depended on how long that Forge General of Mars could live.

The rest of the translation will continue in the next message.

Many people loathed the Forge General of Mars, Oud Oudia Raskian, but there was nothing they could do.

As a Tech-Magus, Oudia's knowledge was average, his talent was mediocre, and his management skills were even less impressive.

Yet, he still became the Forge General of Mars, the High Lord of the Mechanicum.

Because he was conservative and extreme enough, pouring all his efforts into power struggles.

Though Oudia often resorted to tricks that backfired, his ruthlessness and destructive power were enough to make others fear him.

More importantly—

He was "orthodox" enough.

He had the support of the Titan Legions, the Imperial Knight Houses, and even the formidable backing of the Void Dragon Guardians Order.

He was undeniably the leader of the conservative faction.

Even if Oudia was incompetent, corrupt, stubborn, and liked to stir up pointless conflicts and petty feuds that caused unnecessary losses and deaths—

No matter what, Oudia was the Forge General of Mars and the High Lord of the Mechanicum.

He controlled the Mechanicum, which represented one half of the Imperium's might, the other being the God-Emperor's realm.

After all, the vast majority of the Imperium's warships, firearms, power armor, Titans, Imperial Knights, heavy vehicles, and more—

Were all manufactured by the Forge Worlds controlled by the Mechanicum.

In theory, even the Emperor once had to show him a certain level of respect.

His status was on par with that of a Primarch.

Even Guilliman, the returned Primarch, had to reluctantly acknowledge Oudia's status and ideology, unless he wanted to spark a conflict between the Mechanicum and Holy Terra, plunging the Imperium into chaos.

In short, the position of the Forge General of Mars was unshakable!

Buna had learned all of these secrets from the hidden complaint boards on the Mechanicum Forum.

Posts that cursed the Forge General of Mars filled a considerable portion of the board, even receiving special highlights.

Buna didn't pay much attention to these things. The Forge General of Mars was far too distant from him.

What would happen to that high and mighty existence was not something he was qualified to speculate about.

If nothing unexpected happened—

He would continue to be bound within the dark and dreary factory, spending his entire life around that ancient and complex machine.

Buna could accept that.

Because he had the Mechanicum Forum.

In that virtual world, there was an endless amount of knowledge to explore, and he could even make friends from all over the galaxy.

Moreover, the members of the Webby Faithful were all good people who shared their faith and support for Webby.

They helped each other, made all kinds of beautiful emblems, and were willing to share knowledge and resources with those who had similar interests.

When Buna was at the black market, the member of the Webby Faithful only showed him the emblem and asked if he thought it was beautiful.

After receiving a positive answer—

The believer generously gave him a data plate for free, along with several emblems.

They were made of rare metallic materials.

To Buna, having those was more than enough. He desired nothing more.

However, his beautiful life didn't last long before it was shattered.

Suddenly, all signals from the Mechanicum Forum were jammed on Mars.

Under the order of Forge General Oud Oudia Raskian—

The entire planet went into lockdown, and the Protective Machine Soldiers began hunting down any Tech-Priests using the Mechanicum Forum.

Panic spread.

More and more people were either captured or killed during the hunts, and even the believer who had given him the data plate was lost without a trace.

Now, it was Buna's turn.

"Filthy technological heretic and foul faith!"

The Protective Machine Soldiers once again stomped on the puddle of molten metal, kicking it into the trash heap.

"Damn you! I'll fight you to the end!"

Buna struggled desperately, but having lost his mechanical limbs, he had no ability to resist.

Soon, he was dragged away by the Protective Machine Soldiers.

In the shadows, many Tech-Priests watched this scene with anger.

But they were powerless.

They could not possibly fight against the Protective Machine Soldiers or those higher, more privileged beings.

That unshakable existence had crushed the spark of knowledge on Mars with unstoppable force.

And no one could stop him.

...

The Holy Hall of the Omnissiah.

Within the grand and sacred mechanical hall, high-ranking members of the Mechanicum were holding an important meeting to discuss the final resolution for the Mechanicum Forum.

On a mechanical dais over ten meters high sat a massive mechanical construct.

The grinding of gears hummed ominously.

This was Oud Oudia Raskian, the Forge General of Mars. His body had been heavily modified with so many mechanical implants that—

He resembled a mechanical fortress rather than a man. Moving him required the assistance of eight super-heavy cranes.

Because of this, whenever Oudia needed to attend a meeting, it required a massive logistical effort and construction work.

Several months ago—

While attending a meeting on Holy Terra, Oudia had received news about the Mechanicum Forum and immediately left the meeting.

He returned to Mars.

However, due to his massive body, by the time he reached the surface of Mars, nearly a month had passed.

Then, Oudia immediately locked down Mars and convened a meeting of high-ranking members.

Gathering all of the senior members in the Holy Hall of the Omnissiah took another month.

The inefficiency was characteristically Imperial.

Of course, some of the delay was deliberate. The Forge General needed time to plot.

To deliver a fatal blow at the most appropriate moment.

"The Mechanicum Forum is heretical and utterly unforgivable!"

The rumbling electronic voice echoed throughout the hall.

Forge General Oud Oudia Raskian spoke in a tone that allowed no dispute:

"That filthy, hideous platform is the enemy of the Mechanicum, a creation of absolute heresy.

We must gather all our strength to destroy it completely, even if it means provoking a large-scale war!"

(End of Chapter)

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