As the Titan's Spear translated back into the Solar System, Axion immediately initiated the next phase of his operations. The stockpile of wraithbone was now sufficient, and the gargantuan halls originally used to intern the Aeldari captives had been cleared.
Under the guidance of the Harlequin Masque, Sapient Machine Automatons began positioning the wraithbone in the center of the hall to construct a Webway Gate. Leveraging the vast reserves of Psychic Crystals, Axion had modified dozens of the automatons to assist the Masque, tasking them with recording the precise methodology of utilizing psychic resonance and wraithbone to puncture the veil of the Webway.
After all, the Iron Men of old possessed no psychic presence.
The members of the Masque seemed indifferent to the Iron Man's scrutiny. Psychic power was a force of the soul; they understood clearly that even if these "iron husks" could replicate the physical architecture perfectly, they would remain incapable of interfacing with the Webway's control systems. Such a feat required the guidance and synchronization of a conscious spirit. These mechanical constructs lacked any spiritual weight; had it been otherwise, they would have manifested their own psychic potential rather than siphoning energy from the Aeldari.
While the mechanical fleet anchored on the Mandeville point of the Solar System, awaiting the completion of the new gate, another scene of industry unfolded in the distant Segmentum Pacificus.
The massive metallic world, forged from the recycled remains of a Leviathan Splinter Fleet, had finally completed its cooling cycle. Months of labor had transformed it into a metallic sphere of terrifying proportions. The gravity-stabilizing arrays, once positioned in high orbit, had now descended to the planetary surface. The dozens of ships left to guard the site commenced a new directive.
Colossal starports began to rise from the iron crust. Within these ports, gargantuan ship-printing apparatuses were assembled.
Axion was well aware of the vastness and labyrinthine complexity of the Webway. Even if a new breach was opened in close proximity to Terra, there was no telling how far the entry point would be from the Emperor's ancient laboratory, or how significant the spatial deviation might be. Furthermore, Axion had to fulfill his new compact with Guilliman. He was required to muster a fleet of sufficient strength to respond to Inquisition tithe-collection operations. These vessels had to be multi-role designs; while their generalized nature might make them less efficient than specialized warships, Axion had no other recourse for such missions.
On the world designated "Leviathan Mining Planet," the work never ceased. Nanite swarms, coordinated by Sapient Machine Automatons, began to "strip the crust," systematically refining every scrap of metallic matter.
Medium-sized vessels, roughly six kilometers in length, slightly larger than an Imperial Cruiser, began to roll off the lines. Axion designated these the Guardians.
Though modest in scale, these ships were exceptionally well-equipped. Unlike standard Iron Man vessels, they featured atmospheric life-support systems and sufficient internal volume to transport tens of thousands of ground-based mechanical units. This complement included four grand battalions of Automated Sentry-Troopers, two grand battalions of Peltast Sniper Automata, two companies of Armored Wardens (both ranged and melee variants), and two Destroyer/Vengeance-class heavy units. A grand battalion of smaller units numbered ten thousand, while a company of Armored Wardens consisted of five hundred.
In addition to the ground forces, the oversized hangars were stocked with over a hundred Heavy Combat Drones and an ample supply of transport craft. Furthermore, every ship was equipped with a small-scale standard production line. Though singular, it was sufficient to handle most contingencies, allowing the ship to mine asteroids or other metallic sources to repair or replenish its internal forces.
The rest of the ship's systems comprised heavy void shield generators, a Geller Field, two medium-sized plasma strike arrays featuring fewer than thirty batteries, and a prow-mounted focused pulse cannon. To meet the chaotic power demands of such varied equipment, Axion installed two Quantum Energy Cores in each hull.
The sheer density of equipment and the exhaustive list of functions gave these specialized ships a somewhat bloated silhouette. However, compared to an Imperial Cruiser, this vessel possessed stronger shielding, superior firepower, and armor plating twice as thick. This disparity existed primarily because mechanical ships lacked a bridge and required no organic captain or crew. Living space was restricted to a single mid-ship section, with life-support provided only to a few compartments totaling less than ten thousand square meters. The nutrient stores were similarly limited, providing for only a few thousand individuals.
This accommodation was made solely for the potential acquisition of psykers during Black Ship escort missions; psykers were biological entities that required oxygen and sustenance. Otherwise, Axion would have had no need for life-support or food stores on these vessels.
…
With the assistance of the automatons, a new Webway Gate, fifteen meters high and twenty meters wide, was successfully integrated into the internal structure of the Titan's Spear. After confirming that the first fleet from Segmentum Pacificus had departed for the Solar System, Axion signaled the Masque to begin the activation.
The Troup Master saw no reason to refuse the Iron Man's request.
The ground before the gate was heaped with Psychic Crystals, their energy destined to compensate for the lack of psychic numbers required for the initial breach. Connecting a new gate to the ancient system required a massive expenditure of power.
Blinding blue arcs of lightning flickered violently as Psychic Crystals shattered and vanished in rapid succession. A tide of psychic energy surged through the wraithbone arc, following its semi-circular contours. Mysterious runes began to emit a soft, brilliant radiance, and motes of psychic glimmer danced with an ancient, occult mystery.
As the energy finally coalesced into a psychic lightning strike at the apex of the arc, a massive vortex of energy began to churn within the frame. A brand-new gate had been successfully spliced into the Webway system created by the Old Ones.
"ROAR!"
A chorus of furious, exhilarated bellows echoed from within the breach. Swarms of bizarre Warp-entities and daemons came tumbling out of the gate, squeezed through by the pressure of the empyrean.
The members of the Masque, seemingly anticipating this, drew their weapons and began a fighting retreat, striking down daemons as they moved. The automatons left behind were once again forced into combat. However, the dam-bursting flood of daemonic filth quickly overwhelmed and crushed the several dozen units.
The daemons fell greedily upon the remaining Psychic Crystals scattered on the floor, fighting one another for the lingering energy. Even the severed limbs of the psychic-modified automatons, still embedded with crystal fragments, drew their ravenous attention.
This sudden escalation was slightly outside Axion's projections, but it was not unmanageable.
Swarms of mechanical legions, spearheaded by several Destroyer-class units, marched through the corridors and entered the hall. The oversized power claws of the Destroyers easily shredded any daemon or Warp-beast that dared emerge from the Webway. Two of the massive machines took up positions like mechanical temple-guards at the gate's threshold, their claws sweeping back and forth across the opening in a relentless rhythm, carving through warp-flesh and leaving a spray of ichor in their wake.
The daemons were torn apart before they could even fully manifest outside the Webway. Those that had already escaped were systematically dismantled by the fire of the Sentry-Troopers and the relentless blades of the melee-oriented Armored Wardens.