"This is impossible! For us of the chanicum, just cracking the manufacturing process and then reverse-engineering this thing is an extrely challenging project.
"The cost alone would be astronomical.
"We don't even know what materials this gun is made from, or the exact manufacturing process. All we have right now is a finished product, but actually replicating it will be very difficult.
"And you expect to get half the profits from this weapon in the future, just for providing a single sample? That's simply impossible," a Tech-Priest of the chanicum shook his head and said.
Although the chanicum had submitted to the Emperor, all chanicum mbers still worshipped their Machine God, the Omnissiah.
Their internal organization was well-preserved; they had their own Skitarii, their own Forge Worlds.
The Emperor had even promised the chanicum that all Forge Worlds would remain under their administration.
If the Imperium wanted weapons, they had to place orders with the chanicum. There was no such thing as "free provision".
At most, they might provide so technical assistance, and that always ca with a price.
"I'm not done showing my stuff yet! And that power level detector from earlier, you chanicum folks will be responsible for manufacturing those too, right?" Russ interjected.
There were also combat suits, dical pods, and most importantly, the main event: the FTL engine.
He hadn't even demonstrated those yet!
"Great Primarch, we respect you deeply, but please, do not ask for the moon.
"If we're able to successfully replicate this weapon in the future, at most we can give your Legion a 20% discount on weapon purchases from us," said another chanicum Tech-Priest.
"Are you joking? I give you this thing and still have to buy it from you?
"Why wouldn't I just build my own factory and make them myself? Have you ever heard of intellectual property?" Russ retorted.
This line was sothing Axis had taught him. The logic was simple: if I give you the thod for making weapons, why should I have to buy from you?
"All Imperial industry depends on the chanicum, from the smallest screw to the largest war barge, power field generators, void shields, warp engines, Gellar fields, and power armor, all these are chanicum technologies," said a Magos standing by the Emperor, whose body was already 90% chanical.
"The value of this energy weapon is indeed imnse. Since Russ has gifted it to the Imperium, he should be rewarded.
"Here's my decision: The chanicum will be responsible for deciphering this energy weapon.
"Once mass production is possible, a munitions factory will be established on the howorld of the Space Wolves. All Space Wolf warriors will be able to use this weapon free of charge.
"In addition, the chanicum will craft a custom Terminator armor for my son, Leman Russ," the Emperor waved his hand, settling the matter.
The chanicum of Mars was indeed a major issue, but the Great Crusade had only just begun, and he had to acquire the chanicum's technical knowledge.
So certain compromises had to be made, such as allowing the chanicum to maintain their faith in the Omnissiah, even though the Imperial Truth dictated that there should be no gods.
To the chanicum, even the Emperor was rely the Omnissiah incarnate, or his chosen representative.
As for the chanicum issue, the Emperor planned to deal with them once the Imperium had fully completed the Great Crusade.
The Great Crusade was just the first step in his plan to save humanity.
Next, he intended to return to Holy Terra, and there carve a system linking directly to the ancient Eldar Webway.
That way, humanity could finally break free from warp travel, returning to (and even surpassing) the zenith of technology seen before the Age of Strife.
Axis nudged Russ at the side, giving him a aningful look: "Even the Emperor has to compromise with the Martian chanicum at this stage, let alone you!"
If you could snatch even a scrap of at from their jaws, that was already sothing to celebrate.
Right now, even the Emperor had to rely on the power of the chanicum.
The fact that he could get the chanicum to build a munitions factory on Fenris was already a huge win.
Besides, they hadn't even handed over all their energy weapons.
There were still better weapons locked away in King Vegeta's private safe, didn't that guy try to snipe Frieza with a rifle in the Broly movie? He might have failed, but at least it showed those weapons could kill beings with power levels of hundreds of thousands.
Any hot weapon a Saiyan would actually use wasn't going to be diocre.
That safe absolutely could not fall into the hands of the chanicum.
"Russ, if you have anything else, show it all at once," the Emperor said to Russ.
The power level detector was just a small gadget, really just a recon tool.
Unless soone used psycic energy, it couldn't detect much; its practical value was limited.
But this energy weapon had actually surprised the Emperor a bit.
"Next, I'll demonstrate what I'm wearing. This is a combat bodysuit, extrely lightweight and flexible, as if you're just wearing a layer of paper.
"But its defensive power is astounding, to say the least, and to top it off, it keeps the body at a constant temperature. No matter how extre the conditions, it maintains body heat, and can even shield against so types of cosmic radiation," Russ said, taking off his outer coat to reveal the Saiyan battle suit underneath.
The unusual material of the suit instantly piqued the interest of both the Emperor and the assembled chanicum adepts.
The Emperor himself stepped forward and tugged at the soft-looking fabric.
To the touch, it felt like cotton, but it was unbelievably tough.
The chest armor and shoulder guards were made from so special material he had never seen before.
"Let's test just how protective this suit really is," the Emperor said, giving a signal to the Custodes beside him.
A few of the Custodians imdiately understood.
They went to one of their fellows, helping him remove his Aquila-pattern Terminator armor.
A few minutes later, a Custodian, now only wearing underclothes on his lower body, stepped in front of Axis.
Leman Russ nodded to Axis, who caught on right away, and handed over a battle suit to the Custodian.
The Custodian easily put on the suit, tailored for an average human physique, then moved around, testing its limits with a series of stretches.
"How does it feel?" the Emperor asked.
"Great Emperor, it's very comfortable. Even though it looked small, once I put it on, I hardly feel it at all, and it's extrely light," the Custodian replied.
"Good. You all, test the defensive strength of this suit," the Emperor ordered with a nod.
After seeing that energy weapon just now, he was now quite curious about this protective gear. Just how good was its defense?
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