Chapter 262: Sigismund
It happened when Joric was still a young Tech-Priest, conducting research in Holy Terra under his mentor.
During a field study trip to the depths of a Hive City, he stumbled upon a group of gangers besieging a young boy.
The boy was covered in blood yet resisted stubbornly like a trapped beast, clutching nothing but a half-length metal pipe as his weapon.
What impressed Joric most were those eyes, sharp as a falcon's—even in a desperate situation, they burned with unyielding fighting spirit.
Joric immediately intervened to help.
He precisely fired several laser beams, taking down the most ferocious thugs. The rest scattered in fear.
After driving away the thugs, he walked up to the ganger kid curled up and panting in the corner, using his portable medical tools to treat his wounds.
The boy stared at him vigilantly until he realized Joric was truly treating him, at which point his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Sigismund." The boy rasped out his name, his gaze lingering briefly on Joric's mechanical augmetics and red robes, curiosity in his eyes.
Joric simply nodded. After finishing the necessary emergency treatment, he stood up and left.
This brief encounter was but an insignificant interlude in his long research career.
Later, he accidentally learned that the Hive City kid had been spotted by a recruiter for the Imperial Fists and taken away.
Even later, the name Sigismund began to spread within the Legion—he rose rapidly with unparalleled swordsmanship and absolute loyalty, eventually becoming the First Captain of the VII Legion, one of the Emperor's most loyal warriors, and Primarch Dorn's most trusted sword and shield.
The twist of fate occurred when Joric's mentor and his faction were purged due to accusations of heresy.
As a member of that faction, Joric was naturally implicated.
At the critical moment of the investigation, a guarantee document from the high command of the Imperial Fists Legion, worded strongly but with a clear stance, was delivered to the Mechanicus tribunal responsible for the review.
The document emphasized Joric's past technical contributions and vouched for his loyalty based on his indirect assistance in a fringe technology cooperation project with the VII Legion.
This guarantee largely offset the intensity of the accusations against Joric, allowing him to escape the core charges and receive only a certain degree of monitoring and restriction.
Joric later learned through hidden channels that the one who pushed for this guarantee was none other than Sigismund, who by then held a high position of power.
The First Captain had not forgotten the Tech-Priest who had helped him in the depths of the Hive City.
Joric did not stay long at the starport.
After completing necessary docking document verification and transit authority registration, he led the group onto a designated surface shuttle.
The shuttle detached smoothly from the starport docking arm, adjusted its attitude, and began its descent toward the planetary surface below, marked heavily by industry.
After some flight time, the shuttle landed in a relatively independent area on the Forge World's surface.
Here stood Joric's private research facility, a fortress-like building constructed of heavy alloys, its surface etched with binary prayers and Cog Mechanicum emblems.
The towering spires were sensor arrays, and behind the heavy blast doors lay a heavily guarded internal space.
As the heavy alloy blast doors closed behind them, the noise and roughness of the starport were instantly cut off.
The interior of the laboratory presented a starkly different scene—there were no exposed pipes or deafening mechanical roars. Instead, there was a breathtaking precision and order.
Countless strangely shaped instruments were arranged neatly along the smooth floor, ghostly blue indicator lights flowing on their surfaces.
Several Servo-skulls hovered quietly in mid-air, red lights blinking rhythmically in their eye sockets, silently recording everything in the venue.
Thick cables were perfectly housed in metal grooves on the walls. The air carried the unique mixed smell of ozone, coolant, and sacred oil, purer and sharper than what was smelled in the starport.
Joric's massive dark red mechanical body appeared extremely oppressive under the cold white light.
He turned to the group, his synthesized voice ringing steadily in the empty hall. "Remember where you stand at this moment."
His mechanical finger swept across the air, pointing to the equipment operating silently around them. "This is not only my private laboratory but also a sanctified technological shrine. Every instrument has been calibrated ten thousand times; every procedure carries the will of the Omnissiah."
His crimson optical lenses slowly swept over everyone's face, as if reading their physiological data.
"Next, you will undergo comprehensive evaluation and necessary upgrade modifications here." He paused slightly, letting the weight of these words sink into everyone's heart. "Ignis will take you to the temporary living quarters and inform you of the basic rules."
His voice suddenly took on a metallic sharpness. "Special note—all areas marked in red are strictly prohibited. Any unauthorized operation will be considered a severe violation. Here, discipline is not a suggestion; it is the prerequisite for survival."
Everyone nodded one after another.
Maine unconsciously rubbed the scar on his chin, his gaze cautiously sweeping over those precision instruments he had never seen before.
Valerie quietly observed her surroundings, paying particular attention to the locations of several devices with obvious weapon characteristics.
Jackie rarely restrained his usual jumpiness, standing dutifully in place, only his slightly roving eyes betraying his curiosity.
David's breathing quickened. He stared at an automated analyzer operating in the distance, eyes shining with longing.
Lucy gently touched his arm, signaling him to stay calm.
Joric's mechadendrites inputted the final command on the console, his deep voice echoing in the laboratory. "The changes you are about to experience will far exceed your imagination. Remember: Here, efficiency is virtue, obedience is survival."
As if to confirm these words, the hum of equipment activating came from deep within the laboratory, like some solemn declaration.
As Joric turned to walk toward the main console, Ignis immediately stepped forward, silently signaling the group to follow.
They took one last look at Joric's massive dark red back before leaving the main laboratory under the guidance of the Secutarii commander.
When the alloy door closed silently, Joric's data interface had already connected to the system.
He input everyone's detailed physiological data, modification records, and combat performance analysis recorded by the "Administrator" during their time in Night City into the laboratory's Cogitator array.
Massive amounts of information surged into his consciousness like a waterfall. Every parameter, every combat performance was precisely parsed in his logic core.
Based on his profound understanding of standard Mechanicus augmentation technology, he began constructing preliminary modification plan frameworks.
Everyone's potential and flaws appeared clearly in the data stream, like raw materials waiting to be sculpted, about to be shaped into more perfect forms.
Just as he was fully immersed in data analysis and plan formulation, the communication indicator light at the main entrance of the laboratory suddenly lit up, breaking the silence in the room.
An encrypted and verified identity marker flashed on the communication interface—it was Sigismund.
(End of Chapter)