In the eras of antiquity, Standard Production Factories were widely proliferated to facilitate the Great Expansion. At the heart of these manufacturing hubs lay the core data repositories: STC (Standard Template Construct) blueprints. Each template contained distinct production specifications; one needed only to interface the template with the corresponding port on the assembly line and feed the required materials as prompted. From there, products would flow incessantly from the line.
Every Standard Production Factory was equipped with at least three production lines, categorized by product scale: Small, Medium, and Large. All lines utilized Stack-Printing Technology. Unlike the contemporary production methods of the Imperium, which involve smelting raw materials, welding, and painstakingly assembling components with bolts and rivets, these ancient systems printed units in a single, continuous process.
Units exceeding standard dimensions utilized modular designs, the Knight suits being a prime example. These massive war machines were manufactured in segmented components and subsequently integrated during final assembly. Each module featured a standardized interface, ensuring universal compatibility and adaptability across diverse configurations.
The precision instruments and complex structures of the Dark Age of Technology relied entirely on this method of fabrication. Furthermore, the integrity of the materials remained uniform, free from the variances typically introduced by erratic smelting processes. The sheer industrial might afforded by this technology yielded inexhaustible legions of automata and peerless combat capabilities.
In the modern Imperium, however, two devices of the identical mark produced on different Forge Worlds will invariably exhibit discrepancies in performance. Many Imperial artifacts claimed to be built from STC templates are, in truth, products of "optimized" STC copies, corrupted or modified by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The reason is starkly simple: functional Standard Production Factories are vanishingly rare. The Imperium lacks the capacity to reconstruct these streamlined, highly automated facilities. Were it otherwise, the bloated, sprawling Forge Worlds would be unnecessary; the Federation era lacked the suffocating, vertical squalor of the Hive Worlds.
During the ancient revolts, the destruction of these factories was the most effective means of halting the rapid proliferation of the Iron Men and their sapient machine legions.
While the Tech-Priests attribute variances in equipment to the "displeasure of the Machine Spirit" or the idiosyncratic dogmas of specific cults, the reality is a failure of quality control and manufacturing protocols. Different sub-cults waste varying amounts of time on ritualistic benedictions. Those sects perceived as "lax" in their faith often spend less time hallowing armor plating, endoskeletons, and screws, resulting in higher manufacturing and assembly efficiency. Paradoxically, their gear is often more stable and reliable upon entering service. Even in the heat of battle, when conditions become too dire for the prescribed prayers to the Machine Spirit, the equipment rarely shows signs of "malfunctioning spite."
Conversely, gear produced by sects diligent in their rituals often displays phenomena that defy logic. This is not seen as an error; rather, the reliability of such gear often increases alongside its years of service. Magos and Archmagos alike attribute this to the blessings of the Omnissiah, a manifestation of a "joyous Machine Spirit." By that same logic, a loss of control, weapon jams, targeting failures, or catastrophic backfires that incinerate friendly troops are deemed expressions of the Machine Spirit's wrath or the Omnissiah's divine abhorrence.
The production line Axion had discovered within the factory district was a Medium-class Standard Production Line, once a staple of the old world. While it could not forge massive automata or the structural modules for super-heavy war engines, it was perfectly capable of manufacturing medium-scale machinery up to ten meters in height. Though the line had not been formally sanctified or correctly installed, this did not hinder Axion's utilization of it.
Once interfaced with STC data, a Standard Production Line could explicitly identify the required materials, or suitable substitutes, and guide worker-automata to specific planetary coordinates for resource extraction based on geological survey data. Lacking the proper logistical support, Axion resorted to dumping all available materials into the hopper, allowing the line's recognition sensors to extract what was needed automatically.
This particular line had been unearthed by Cawl from the ruins of a dead world. Its integrity was remarkable, rivaling the relic-tech preserved within the vaults of Terra. However, Cawl had never truly utilized it; his labyrinthine responsibilities left him no time to study this ancient fabrication tool. He had merely shuttered it within an abandoned factory for safekeeping.
When Cawl arrived at the factory district, the once-dormant line was humming with life. Axion stood nearby, continuously piling salvaged Necron wreckage into a designated collection zone. The production line was operating in a manner Cawl had never envisioned, perhaps the only true way such ancient machinery was meant to function.
Under Axion's calibration, the Quantum Deconstructors reduced the unrecognizable Necron scrap into base raw materials. Subsequently, using production data uploaded from Axion's own internal archives, the materials underwent molecular reconstruction. To the observer, it appeared as though objects were being printed out of thin air, much like the workings of Necron Canoptek Scarabs.
As the first massive metallic endoskeleton was pushed off the line, Axion transcribed its structural data into the unique necrodermis. The experiment confirmed his theory: this metal could be compiled and manipulated like a nanite-swarm structure.
With the structural recording complete, Axion immediately deactivated his Aegis Protector. Mechanical arms blurred as they disassembled the guardian into a pile of components, which were then re-integrated onto the new metallic endoskeleton. Once he confirmed the energy circulation systems were functioning within parameters, Axion reactivated the protector and, with a swift motion, severed one of its mechanical arms.
The Aegis Protector, following its newly encoded data, retrieved the limb with its remaining hand. Upon holding the piece against the stump, the Necron metal began to flow like a tide of nanites. The jagged wound sealed instantly, the surface becoming as seamless as if it had never been damaged. Internally, the pre-configured power conduits completed their coupling.
The guardian flexed its reattached arm, confirming full mobility and a successful system self-check. Validated by the feedback, Axion tossed the discarded, broken frame of the original protector into the hopper to be recycled.
The next batch off the line was not merely skeletal frames. A swarm of small, rudimentary machines, gleaming in bright silver, was ejected from the assembly port. Designated by the Iron Man as WK-3 units, these small robots stood less than half a meter tall. They utilized a compact tracked chassis, resembling eccentric rectangular crates. Each was equipped with a front-mounted bucket featuring a small sifter. The crate-like torso could expand to provide nearly half a cubic meter of storage space.
Their primary purpose was the reclamation of shattered mechanical debris from the battlefield. Controlled via a swarm-intelligence module, their command latency was non-existent. When filled to capacity, a WK-3 resembled a large, mobile refuse bin.
Though they bore the derogatory nickname "Scavengers," they were versatile, low-intelligence utility units capable of both clearing wreckage and performing swarm-based logistics. Axion's intent was clear: he would send these small machines back to the previous sector to harvest every remaining fragment of Necron scrap. Once the reclamation was complete, Axion would simply feed the WK-3 units themselves back into the materials hopper, rendering them back into raw resources for the next phase of production.