Chapter 45: Joric's Ambition
With Maine's crew dispatched to gather the vast quantities of construction materials, and Sasha stabilized in medical cryo-stasis, Joric once again focused his attention on the burnished gold dodecahedron – the Dimensional Sextant.
The manufactorum returned to its usual ordered silence, filled only by the low hum of machinery and the subtle whir of the servo-skull's augurs. The power core ran smoothly, providing him with abundant energy. He had already managed to perform a basic "recharge" ritual on the Sextant, restoring its internal energy readings above a foundational threshold. Beneath the dark gold surface, the living patterns now flowed with a brighter, more regular luminescence.
But this did not mean he could simply activate it at will for a casual stroll across the multiverse. Through his recent, intensive analysis, Joric had gained a deeper understanding of this Dark Age of Technology relic.
"Randomized transit... the risk coefficient is unacceptably high. Tantamount to self-annihilation," he murmured to his hovering Old Friend, his metallic fingertips unconsciously tracing the Sextant's cold surface.
His previous, accidental jump from the Warhammer universe to this reality had been fortunate – a statistical anomaly that could not be relied upon as a basis for strategic planning. In the infinite vastness of the multiverse, the probability of materializing within a star's core, a high-gravity singularity, or the garden of some Warp entity was exponentially higher than finding a habitable world.
His research now focused on deciphering the coordinate data stored within the Sextant itself. Through complex energy-spectrum analysis and information-reconstruction algorithms, he had successfully isolated and performed a preliminary decryption of two relatively stable coordinate parameters logged within the device.
"Coordinate Alpha," Joric called up the energy signature profile for the first coordinate, comparing it against the fundamental physical constants of this cyberpunk reality. "...Confirmed. This corresponds to the current reality-locus."
This verified the Sextant's logging and positional-fix capabilities. Which meant the other coordinate...
"Coordinate Beta." His optical lenses focused on the second parameter set, data-streams scrolling rapidly. This coordinate's energy signature was far more... turbulent.
"...Hypothesis: Probability of 92.7% that this coordinate designates my origin-universe: designation 'Warhammer 40,000'."
The conclusion sent a complex ripple through Joric's core logic-engine.
The Warhammer universe. That cesspit of endless war, dark gods, casual genocide, and psychotic ideology. The place he had desperately sought to escape. If he had no control over the Sextant, returning there would be the worst possible outcome, an utter failure.
But... what if he could come and go at will?
The thought struck him like lightning in the dark, sparking an entirely new strategic paradigm.
"If entry and egress can be controlled..." Joric mused, a mechadendrite tapping a steady rhythm on the workbench. "Then returning to the Warhammer universe ceases to be the worst option... and becomes, potentially... an option of extreme value."
The reason was simple. That universe, while lethally dangerous, contained unimaginable technological treasures and vast military power. As a Tech-Priest nearly elevated to the rank of Magos, Joric was not without assets there. He possessed his own laboratories, a contingent of Skitarii tech-guard, loyal servitors, and significant technological archives and research stored on a secure Forge World within a specific Segmentum. His last, accidental transit had occurred during a perilous archeotech excavation; he had not had his full resources with him.
If he could return to the Warhammer universe, gather his personal assets, and bring them back... it would exponentially increase his operational capacity and security in any unknown reality. His latest research indicated the Sextant wasn't limited to transporting only him.
"Energy input exhibits a positive correlation function with transported mass/volume," he reviewed the energy calculation formulae. "With sufficient power, I can transport significantly more material. A small Skitarii maniple... perhaps even... more."
The prospect filled him with a cold excitement. To travel to other realities accompanied by a contingent of loyal troops armed with the advanced weaponry of the 41st Millennium... it would be a quantum leap in security compared to his current reliance on local, unreliable mercenaries.
His ambition expanded further. If the energy problem could be solved, granting him even greater transport capacity, his target would no longer be just a handful of Skitarii.
"A Cruiser-class Ark Mechanicus..." Joric's mind conjured the image of the vast, void-faring fortress-foundries of the Adeptus Mechanicus. To possess his own vessel, capable of inter-dimensional travel... the power would be immense. It would mean taking his entire operational base with him, complete with formidable firepower, onboard manufactorums, and absolute security. Even high-threat realities would become manageable.
The very meaning of the Dimensional Sextant would transform – from a desperate, random tool for finding a way home, into a proactive, powerful instrument of strategic expansion. He could plunder technology and resources from relatively "safe" realities and bring them back to the Warhammer universe, trading them for higher status, greater resources, more advanced technology within the Cult Mechanicus. The fusion of the Imperium's stagnant but incredibly deep technological base with the wild, divergent tech-trees of other realities could yield unforeseen breakthroughs, perhaps even granting him unprecedented influence within the Priesthood of Mars.
Of course, all this rested on two foundations: achieving complete mastery over the Dimensional Sextant, and securing near-limitless sources of energy.
The modification of the subterranean base was necessary to create a secure, stable research sanctum where he could fully unlock the Sextant's secrets – particularly, how to accurately target new coordinates and safely construct stable transit-conduits.
And energy... energy was the bedrock upon which all his ambitions rested.
He looked at the quietly hovering Sextant, its dark gold casing seeming to hold infinite possibilities. Returning to the Warhammer universe was no longer a dreaded endpoint, but potentially a new, opportunity-filled beginning.
His task now was to prepare sufficient "luggage"—troops, resources, technology—and then, cautiously, open the door back to that dark and terrible, yet potentially rewarding, expanse.
The servo-skull silently logged its master's contemplation and strategic re-alignment, the blue light in its oculars pulsing steadily, like a single, cold star in the night sky.