According to Adeptus Mechanicus custom, a high-ranking Priest, especially one who has ascended to the rank of Archmagos, should establish his own apprentice group and a direct team of Tech-Priests.
These assistants not only help with research and daily affairs but also form a crucial part of his power base.
However, despite Osiris now holding the esteemed position of Exploration Archmagos, he only has the Skitarii Corps led by Sekhmet under his command, making him almost a 'lone wolf' in terms of a technical team.
The root of this abnormal situation can be traced back to his early experiences and the cold, brutal nature of internal power struggles within the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Shortly after he was promoted to Priest, and before he had time to build his own retinue, his faction—specifically, his mentor and their associated network—became embroiled in a brutal internal purge.
His mentor was accused because his research direction touched upon certain vague and dangerous boundaries of Adeptus Mechanicus doctrine.
These involved non-standard analysis and attempted applications of ancient xenos technology; although his mentor consistently maintained the purity of his research and his faith in the Omnissiah, in the factional struggle, this became a fatal weapon for his opponents.
This struggle ultimately ended in the crushing defeat of their faction.
Osiris' mentor was stripped of all titles and honors and subjected to an extremely harsh punishment: all precious mechanical implants were forcibly removed, leaving only a broken organic body.
Subsequently, he was sealed into a specially made stasis field, becoming a 'living statue' displayed in the Corridor of Penitence.
Adeptus Mechanicus technology ensured that his life functions were almost eternally suspended, but his consciousness and perception were deliberately preserved.
He was eternally trapped in that immobile shell, clearly perceiving his own powerlessness and confinement, enduring the constant comparison between past glory and present shame.
This torment, far longer than death, was a standard method used by the Adeptus Mechanicus to deter all 'heretics' and failures.
This upheaval taught the nascent Osiris a harsh lesson, making him profoundly aware of the deadly undercurrents lurking beneath the halo of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Precisely because of this, throughout his subsequent career, he remained cautious about establishing a large technical team, preferring to do things himself rather than easily getting entangled in complex personnel networks.
Although circumstances are different now, this caution, stemming from past lessons, still influences his decision-making regarding the formation of his core team.
As a member of that faction, Osiris was naturally implicated.
However, the connections he had carefully cultivated and accumulated within the Adeptus Mechanicus system in his early years played a crucial role at a critical moment.
A prominent Archmagos intervened on his behalf during this purge.
This benefactor, based on past friendship and recognition of Osiris' personal ability and potential, used his influence to provide limited defense and guarantees for him.
Ultimately, Osiris was categorized as a "young Priest who was misguided by his mentor but was fundamentally loyal and whose technical abilities were worth preserving," thus allowing him to escape the core accusations.
He avoided the fate of being made into a servo-skull or suffering more terrible punishments.
This near-death experience gave him an unforgettable understanding of the power struggles within the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The servo-skull, transformed from his former classmate, silently reminded him at all times of the ultimate price that a single misstep in alignment could bring.
Precisely because of this, after the incident, he leaned more towards independent research, staying away from factional whirlpools, and for many years had never taken on any apprentices to avoid repeating past mistakes.
The servo-skull hovering beside his neck was formerly one of his classmates, who also studied under that ill-fated mentor.
That classmate was quite talented academically but failed to find protection in the factional struggle and was eventually executed, his skull modified into a servo-skull, which in a sense, was 'put to good use'.
This cold metal construct constantly reminded Osiris of the brutality of internal Adeptus Mechanicus struggles and the ultimate fate awaiting the defeated.
After this ordeal, Osiris deeply realized the vulnerability of individuals without a foundation in the Adeptus Mechanicus system during high-level infighting.
After the incident, he actively chose a low-key and marginalized existence, focusing on overlooked, low-risk ancient relic exploration projects, staying away from the controversies of the core power circle.
He maintained a relatively moderate relationship with Fabricator-General Vox, based on friendship and potential mutual benefit, but almost completely cut off deep communication and cooperation with most of his other colleagues.
As for recruiting apprentices, before the incident, he was too junior to recruit independently; after the incident, he was both wary of the internal personnel relations of the Adeptus Mechanicus and, to avoid attracting attention and potential trouble, completely shelved the idea of recruiting apprentices, always maintaining a solitary state.
But now, the situation is different.
He has officially been promoted to Exploration Archmagos, gaining independent authority and resources, and will soon possess his own forge ship.
Whether it's managing the battleship he's about to receive, maintaining its complex systems, advancing core research like dimensional teleportation, or coordinating resources and executing missions across different worlds in the future, relying solely on him and Sekhmet is far from enough.
He needs a core team composed of individuals with certain technical capabilities and absolute loyalty.
Given past lessons, he harbors deep-seated doubts about recruiting personnel from the existing Adeptus Mechanicus system.
The complexity of background checks, the possibility of other factions embedding spies, and the uncertainty of loyalty are all potential sources of risk.
After repeated deliberation by his logic core, he concluded that the most reliable and lowest-risk solution was to "manufacture" the necessary assistants himself.
This was not an unrealistic fantasy.
Osiris, within the Adeptus Mechanicus knowledge system, especially in the fields of bioengineering and mechanical fusion technology, indeed possessed an extraordinary depth of accumulation.
This was thanks to the specialized domain of the faction he belonged to in his early years.
Through his factional connections, Osiris was once fortunate enough to participate in auxiliary work related to the research project of the legendary 'Lady astartes'; although only on the periphery, he thereby came into contact with some peripheral concepts and applications of the Empire's top-tier genetic engineering technology.
In this sense, Osiris could even barely be considered 'a disciple of Lady astartes'.
Although his faction was later purged for touching upon other sensitive areas, the solid foundation in advanced biological modulation technology, laid during that special period, genuinely remained and became an important part of Osiris' knowledge base.
He also, in an exploration mission targeting a lost colony, successfully analyzed and partially repaired ancient facilities related to genetic modification technology left there, thanks to this unique knowledge, and briefly earned the title of Geneticist.
This experience undoubtedly served as strong proof of his capabilities in this field.