Upon receiving the Vox message, Osiris' cogitator core immediately activated the pre-prepared forge ship blueprint.
However, his Death World base only possessed basic astropathic communication capabilities. This method of communication, relying on psychic intermediaries, not only suffered from significant delays but also could not carry precise technical data packets.
He could not directly reply to Vox through the Adeptus Mechanicus' faster-than-light channel.
Instead of directly responding to Vox's communication, he retrieved the encrypted, extremely detailed technical specification package from his data cache and transmitted it via local connection to the processing core of a trusted apprentice stationed on the Death World.
"Deliver this data package to Neksum," Osiris' instruction was concise and clear. "Hand it personally to the Archmagos overseeing the construction. Please ensure he completes the construction of my forge ship strictly according to this design."
He had to rely on this most primitive yet reliable method of human delivery to ensure the integrity and security of the design blueprint.
This blueprint was meticulously designed by Osiris based on his duties as an Exploration Archmagos, future research needs, and the unique requirements of interdimensional operations.
It was not a revolutionary overhaul of the lunar class cruiser's basic design—that would consume immeasurable time and resources—but rather a series of critical optimizations and customizations built upon the standard template.
Firstly, he demanded the highest level of reinforcement for his exclusive laboratory located in the core area of the ship.
The structural strength of this area needed to far exceed conventional standards, and the inner and outer hulls had to be filled with higher-grade anti-scan, anti-penetration, and energy-damping materials.
The laboratory's independent energy system needed to be expanded to ensure continuous operation of high-energy experimental equipment and to include an isolation mechanism capable of instantaneously disconnecting from the ship's main power grid in emergencies.
The internal life support, environmental control, and data processing systems all employed multiple redundant designs to ensure the laboratory could maintain basic operations under any extreme conditions.
Emergency isolation protocols were further refined, adding multiple layers of physical and energy containment, while also strengthening the mechanism and propulsion for the entire laboratory unit to be jettisoned as an independent escape pod in an emergency.
Secondly, for the Skitarii Corps and new recruit training facilities, Osiris requested an expansion of their deck area and optimization of the logistics channels between them and the equipment maintenance workshops and armories.
He also specifically indicated the need to reserve additional space and interfaces for future installation of training simulation facilities for specific environments or missions.
In terms of weapon systems, while Osiris accepted the standard lunar class cruiser's basic configuration, he required a 30% additional redundancy and upgrade interfaces to be reserved in all weapon platform bases and energy distribution networks, preparing for future self-installation of more powerful weapon systems from other worlds or self-developed ones.
Specifically, the Nova Cannon's mounting base had to be structurally reinforced to accommodate the potential future replacement with higher-output models.
Furthermore, for critical systems such as the augury arrays, void shield generators, Geller fields, and Warp engines, he reiterated that all would use high-performance versions supplied internally by the Adeptus Mechanicus, and requested additional maintenance channels and diagnostic interfaces to be reserved during installation for subsequent upgrades and debugging.
These adjustment plans fully reflected Osiris' far-reaching considerations for future needs: a robust and highly autonomous core research fortress, a continuously operational and growing escort force, and a combat platform with significant upgrade potential.
After handling Vox's communication and the forge ship's planning, Osiris began parsing the second part of the information stream.
This part of the information came from the apprentice stationed at the Death World base, reporting an unexpected event—the frigate sent to Neksum to contact the Astoria Family had returned several weeks ahead of schedule, successfully bringing the knight mecha team dispatched by the Astoria Family.
This anomaly immediately put Osiris on alert.
Warp travel is indeed full of uncertainties, with time dilation and nonlinear effects occurring frequently.
But such a precise early arrival, coincidentally at the critical moment he needed military support, seemed too deliberate.
A chilling doubt spread in his heart.
Was this merely a travel anomaly, or a deliberate arrangement by some higher-level entity?
Was something watching his actions from the depths of the Warp, perhaps even subtly pulling the threads of fate?
He felt as if he could perceive a gaze from across dimensions, an indescribable whisper lingering at the edges of his logical circuits.
His sensor arrays unconsciously increased their scanning frequency, and his internal cooling system emitted a very faint hum.
Despite being in a different dimension, an experienced Tech-Priest's innate vigilance for potential danger had been fully awakened.
However, in the absence of conclusive evidence, he could only temporarily mark this unsettling conjecture as "requires high observation," burying the doubt deep within his logical core.
The reports sent by the apprentices were extremely detailed, clearly executed according to the observation and recording standards Osiris had instilled.
The Astoria Family had dispatched a complete tactical detachment this time, fully demonstrating their military heritage as a veteran knight family.
This team was centered around four knight mechas and their pilots as core combat strength, simultaneously equipped with a complete support system.
This included a team of Relic Maintainers specifically responsible for maintaining the knight mechas, an auxiliary combat group composed of ten squire mechs, and a private army of the Astoria Family numbering approximately a thousand.
This configuration ensured the full utilization of core combat power and guaranteed sustained combat and rear defense capabilities.
The report first mentioned Margaret Limgrave, whom Osiris had previously encountered.
This young Knight was known for her unmatched bravery and strong sense of honor, piloting a Lancer-pattern Cerastus Knight.
This is a relatively rare model, emphasizing close combat and high-speed assault.
Its taller chassis and longer leg structure compared to standard Knights provided superior maneuverability.
The iconic physical ion one-handed shield greatly enhanced frontal close-combat defense, while the shock lance, capable of both fierce charging melee and firing ion blasts, not only had excellent long-range output but also proved highly effective in anti-air defense due to its faster rate of fire.
Next, Margaret's sister, Maria Limgrave, was introduced.
She piloted a Castigator-pattern Cerastus Knight, also focused on close combat, but more on using heavy firepower to suppress clustered targets.
Its main weapons included a Castigator bolt cannon capable of unleashing devastating area-of-effect firepower, and a stormspear that could easily cut through armor.
Although the data indicated it was adept at dealing with numerically superior enemies, the report noted that in actual tactical deployment, the Castigator-pattern leaned more towards mid-to-close-range fire support and anti-light armor roles.