Meanwhile, whispers regarding the abnormal production efficiency at Nexum began to circulate within a limited circle of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Although both Osiris and the Collegia Titanica kept a low profile, resource mobilization and production activities on such a scale could not be entirely hidden from the eyes of other Forge Worlds stationed on Nexum, or from internal factions closely monitoring the Titan Legions.
Some traditionalist Magos, who strictly adhered to ancient dogmas, expressed strong suspicion and opposition.
They viewed this deviation from traditional production cycles as a great sacrilege against the machine-spirit, believing it would inevitably lead to fragile, unreliable products and perhaps even invite the wrath of the Omnissiah.
Privately, they denounced Osiris as a "Heretek innovator," considering the Archmagos Dominus's cooperation with him a reckless gamble.
Conversely, representatives from other Forge Worlds—either more pragmatic or facing production pressures of their own—began contacting Osiris's forces on Nexum under various pretexts. They sought information or explored possibilities for cooperation.
The allure of rapidly acquiring powerful war machines was irresistible to any faction aspiring to a more favorable position within the Imperium's power structure. Nexum, once a planet of no particular distinction in the hierarchy of Forge Worlds, became a focal point of shifting internal currents because of the EVA Titan project.
At the Dead World base, the three EVA pilots remained oblivious to these developments. They conducted their training as scheduled, occasionally sensing a slight change in the base's atmosphere but never looking deeper.
They had no concept of the increasing number of incoming "EVA Titans," nor did they know that they and their three units served as the source and template for it all.
On the Nexum testing grounds, the first unit had been handed over to the advance technical team of the Collegia Titanica. They began deeper system adaptability tests and preliminary neural connection attempts with the reserve pilots assigned to it. Subsequent EVA Titans entered the final stages of assembly.
The rhythm of the production line did not slow down due to external attention or internal doubt; it continued to "spit out" one gray giant after another according to its incredible cycle. Archmagos Dominus Saul's order had not only birthed a new weapon but acted as a key attempting to pry open the heavy, ancient gates of the Mechanicus.
Deep within the Underhive of Necromunda, in the gene-seed laboratory isolated from external distractions, the atmosphere was heavy.
The air circulation system maintained temperature, humidity, and composition within precise ranges. Only the low-frequency hum of instruments and the faint sound of nutrient solution circulating through pipes broke the silence.
Osiris's massive mechanical body stood before the main console like an ancient sculpture, but dozens of precision mechanical tentacles extending from his back adjusted parameters in each cultivation vat with micron-level movements.
His crimson optical lenses locked onto twenty massive cultivation vats filled with glowing green life-support fluid. Inside, candidates who were once ordinary humans had developed into full Astartes forms after more than a year of directional cultivation, genetic editing, and psychic guidance.
They were in a state of deep hibernation, their faces peaceful as if merely sleeping.
Now came the most critical stage: awakening.
This was not a simple transition from sleep. It was the transformation of these "products"—cultivated through non-traditional means and fused with optimized gene-seed traits—from unconscious organisms into "Apt Candidates" capable of cognitive function and enduring subsequent surgical augmentations.
The process involved complex neural activation, subconscious construction, and the implantation of initial memory templates—primarily basic loyalty concepts regarding the Imperium, the Emperor, and the Adeptus Astartes, along with necessary combat instincts. Any minor error could lead to neural collapse, genetic instability, or unpredictable mutations.
Osiris's logic core allocated nearly all computing power here, monitoring brainwave activity, hormone levels, and gene expression stability across tens of thousands of physiological parameters for each individual.
Laboratory logs showed that over the past seventy-two hours, three specimens had shown signs of irreversible degradation due to the neural load during awakening. They were automatically marked as "failures," their life support terminated to be later deconstructed as research samples. The remaining seventeen were relatively stable, though the final success rate remained unknown.
No emotional fluctuation crossed Osiris's consciousness; there was only pure data analysis and decision-making. Failure was an acceptable loss in the experimental process; the priority was acquiring data to optimize the workflow. His goal was to establish a "production line" more efficient and controllable than the traditional Astartes recruitment, screening, and transformation process. The rapid production of EVA Titans proved his efficiency in mechanical manufacturing; the gene-seed project represented his pursuit of equal efficiency in bioengineering.
While focused on the awakening sequence, a message from the Dead World base marked [Maine's Squad - Dimensional Exploration - Preliminary Contact Report] slid into his queue with low priority. He diverted a negligible amount of processing power to skim the summary.
The situation seemed unique but posed no immediate threat. He archived the report for later processing and returned his full attention to the seventeen subjects whose fates were being decided.
Outside, the Titan Legion's orders, the shock of the Martian Magos, and the internal currents of the Mechanicus all seemed insignificant compared to the moment determining the fate of these new warriors. His plan was vast and multi-dimensional.
The EVA Titans were the power displayed to the outside world—leverage to trade for resources and influence. The gene-seed optimization was the foundation intended to fundamentally strengthen the core military force he controlled. Once these "Apt Candidates" successfully awakened and passed subsequent tests, they would not be ordinary Astartes neophytes, but seeds of greater potential, deeply optimized and stripped of certain known genetic flaws.
They would carry Osiris's technology and will, becoming vital components of his future blueprint.
The light in the lab seemed to focus on those seventeen vats. The ripples in the nutrient solution reflected the sleeping giants within. The moment of awakening drew near. Whether successful or not, it marked the movement of Osiris's power structure into a new, deeper phase. Hope for the future was being shaped, bit by bit, in this silent laboratory.