"We understand. Boss, just give us a list for payment." Maine nodded, showing understanding. Top priority was saving Sasha—everything else could wait.
He glanced at crew members. Though their eyes held confusion about the future, they held more determination to rescue their companion.
"Good." Cairo said no more, gesturing that Maine's crew could temporarily leave the workshop. He needed focusing energy on beginning preliminary stabilization treatment for Sasha: "You can go. Keep communications open. When I need you transporting materials, I'll notify you."
Maine took one long look at Sasha, then nodded to crew members.
The group silently turned, leaving the workshop. Heavy metal doors slowly closed behind them, isolating interior and exterior into two worlds.
Oppressive atmosphere filled the vehicle. No one spoke. Everyone immersed in complex emotions from that fate-deciding negotiation.
Watching Maine and others leave, Cairo turned—dark red robe hem sweeping the floor—walking toward the central workbench.
His mechanical tentacles deftly operated terminals, pulling up Sasha's detailed scan data, continuing to adjust subsequent treatment processes.
Simultaneously, he allocated partial processing threads reconnecting to the dimensional transport device's external monitoring interface.
In internal visual interfaces invisible to Maine's crew, vast data streams surged like star rivers.
Cairo's logic core ran at breakneck speed—not just calculating optimal paths for Sasha's bodily repairs but also projecting a new, more cautious plan.
His original intention had been personally returning to the Warhammer universe once confirming the dimensional transport device could stably communicate between worlds and initially cracking coordinate positioning technology.
There lay his laboratory he couldn't bring, accumulated technical resources, even a small Skitarii detachment completely belonging to him.
Those forces were crucial for establishing himself and developing in this strange world.
Technology from Forge Worlds, weapons, even loyal mechanical creations could massively boost his capabilities and safety.
However, personal return risks always existed.
The Warhammer universe's danger levels far exceeded here. One accidental spatial disturbance, one unstable transport landing, even being detected by certain existences in that universe—all could bring serious consequences.
He couldn't stake everything on one high-risk personal operation.
Now, with Maine crew's fealty, he had a new, more efficient option.
"Perhaps... no need personally risking it." That thought flashed through Cairo's consciousness stream.
He recalled hearing legends during Warhammer universe days about certain Archmagos—like that mysterious unfathomable Belisarius Cawl.
Reportedly they could manufacture "Contemplator" systems carrying their own memories and thought patterns, even creating replicas or proxies with independent operational capabilities.
Though his techniques were far from reaching Cawl's god-like mastery, basic principles aligned.
A bold plan gradually formed in his mind.
He could attempt crafting a precision "Contemplator" core, injecting it with high-efficiency logic code parsed, purified, and reconstructed from rogue AI, giving it high autonomous judgment and learning capabilities.
Then deeply synchronize this core with portions of his key memories, technical knowledge, Warhammer world cognition, plus preset mission directives—limited simulation.
The "proxy" created this way, though lacking his full emotions and intuitions, would sufficiently simulate most decisions when handling preset tasks and responding to known situations—especially when dealing with Mechanicum subordinate units, imitating his behavioral patterns and authority commands.
Then have this deeply modified and enhanced "Edgerunners" crew escort this "proxy" back to the Warhammer world.
Maine and others' loyalty, combat experience, plus survival capabilities enhanced through customized modifications would suffice as temporary, small-scale "Skitarii" or exploration squads.
They needn't directly challenge that world's terrifying existences—only protect the "proxy" safely reaching predetermined coordinates—his former laboratory or secret bases—and assist the "proxy" completing resource recovery, data downloads, activating preset protocols, or contacting remaining servitors and Skitarii.
Their street smarts and adaptability might unexpectedly help responding to certain layers of Warhammer universe chaos.
Even if missions failed, "proxy" destroyed or squad casualties—he'd merely lose an exploratory branch and partial investments. Core body and technical foundations intact, able to re-plan.
This aligned with risk diversification principles.
"A plan worth attempting." Cairo silently confirmed this idea's feasibility.
This perfectly explained why he needed Maine crew's absolute fealty and thorough transformation—they'd become his tendrils exploring multiversal dimensions, extensions of his power in alien worlds, critical shields reducing body risks.
Investments in them were essentially investments in his own safety and future development.
Of course, this plan currently remained embryonic.
Whether manufacturing "proxy" Contemplators or deeply modifying Maine's crew required time and massive resources.
Preliminary crew calibrations and Sasha's treatment could proceed simultaneously, laying foundations for subsequent deeper modifications.
"Proxy" R&D needed building on more stable energy and deeper rogue AI code parsing—circling back to his needs for underground facility renovations and energy core upgrades.
He reined in scattered thoughts, refocusing primary processing threads on Sasha's life support systems and dimensional transport device real-time data monitoring.
Inside the workshop, cold mechanical humming continued. But beneath that metal face mask, a grand plan connecting two dimensions and exploiting local resources exploring alien worlds had quietly planted seeds.
And Maine plus his "Edgerunners"—not yet fully knowing their future fates—had already involuntarily stepped into this beyond-imagination, dimension-spanning vortex's center to save one family member.
Their loyalty, their strength, even their future forms would be reshaped to suit their creator's ambitions and needs transcending this world.
Cairo began injecting Sasha's body with specialized nano-repair agents and neural stabilization fluids.
Simultaneously, another portion of his consciousness already drafted preliminary enhancement plans for each Maine crew member, plus "proxy" Contemplator's basic design framework.
The work had just begun.
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