The fleet remained stationed at the Mandeville Point cluster for nearly a week.
During this time, the station cluster completed essential maintenance. The energy supply systems were repaired, the Void Shields were reactivated, and the damaged defensive turrets were fixed and brought online.
Ousen's Gene-Seed extraction tool thankfully remained unused.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Thien had already begun his rehabilitation training.
During this period, Axion continually instructed Farien on mechanical knowledge. He needed to ensure that if he left, Thien's bionics would not fail and be rendered useless due to a lack of maintenance. Thien was also required to learn simple upkeep knowledge himself. Since the bionics were part of him, he needed to know how to eliminate potential faults if an accident occurred.
All of this instruction had to be conducted while ignoring the two Magos who were constantly standing nearby, ostensibly "observing and learning." This was the price Ousen had promised to pay to ensure Hubert's survival. After all, a Primaris surgery performed by a Magos was certainly more reliable than one handled solely by a Tech-Priest.
Hubert, who had successfully undergone the Primaris Upgrade, had awakened. He was now the only Primaris Space Marine in the company.
Over the past week, Hubert had engaged in almost daily combat training with his battle-brothers. His physique demonstrated significantly greater strength and agility. This naturally sparked envy among the brothers whose strength was previously comparable to his.
Some even proactively approached the Magos and Tech-Priests, asking to undergo the Primaris Upgrade themselves.
However, all such requests were denied.
The reason was simple: the success rate of the surgery was only 35%–50%. The probability of failure was too high. Every healthy Astartes was a vital asset to the God-Emperor and the Imperium. Under non-emergency circumstances, no upgrade would be approved, even if actively requested. Furthermore, even a Magos performing the surgery could not guarantee a stable success rate of over 50%.
After his bionic replacement, Thien had also sparred once with Hubert.
But this time, the newly confident Hubert was dealt a crushing blow.
The bionics Axion had built for Thien utilized specialized technology that could use neural impulses to rapidly accelerate Thien's reaction speed. While Thien's biological body sometimes struggled to keep up, the bionic reaction was far quicker than Thien could imagine.
Hubert's increased speed and strength were useless against the bionics crafted using ancient technology. The bionics' shock absorption and cushioning were designed to vent impact to mitigate damage. Moreover, Thien's speed was not significantly slower than Hubert's.
One warrior felt no effect from the blows, while the other howled in pain when struck. If Thien hadn't reduced the bionic's power output, as advised by Axion, Hubert, whose body had just been repaired, would likely have suffered fractures again.
All of this was observed by the two Magos.
Their enthusiasm for Axion's performance grew even more intense. They had discussed more than once how to initiate a strong interference, forcibly transport Axion back to the Cult Mechanicus on Mars, and analyze and study its data.
Ultimately, they never acted. After the two Magos used their clearance to meticulously review various files related to the mythical Men of Iron, they clearly realized that using coercive means had a success rate of less than 15%. And should this ancient creation run amok, the probability of everyone on board the ship being slaughtered was 100%.
However, through their recent interactions, the two Magos successfully learned of Axion's peculiar fascination with historical data and literature. Thus, a peculiar transaction began.
The two Magos performed a non-threatening review of Axion, successfully dismissed the Inquisitor, and declared that they would provide supervision. Simultaneously, they began offering Axion historical data they could gather in exchange for technical guidance.
Regarding this conduct, the two Dark Angels simply communicated their observations to their Chapter and remained aboard the Indomitable, saying little more.
Following the departure of the Inquisitor, a new fleet finally arrived near the station cluster.
This fleet carried numerous transport ships fully loaded with an entire Astra Militarum regiment, responding to the Departmento Munitorum's call for relief.
However, the Orks that had attacked the station were annihilated a week prior.
The Black Templars were forced once again to curse the notorious inefficiency of the Departmento Munitorum.
After communicating with the Indomitable's Captain and the station's Commander, the relief fleet deployed two regiments to augment the station's garrison. They informed the station that they had only received the reinforcement order two days ago and had spent a day mobilizing the forces.
Subsequently, they extended a warm invitation to the Black Templars Astartes to join them for the next area requiring support.
The benefits of bringing the Angels of the Emperor were clear. Their strategic acumen and command ability were far superior to those of mortal commanders. Crucially, their superlative combat power was invaluable. In times of need, the Astra Militarum could request the Astartes to resolve problems beyond their capacity.
Among the many Chapters, the Black Templars' zeal for combat and their willingness to answer calls for aid made them highly favored by combat forces. If the galaxy were not so vast, and if the Black Templars Chapter were not so few and perpetually dispersed across various battlefields, most Astra Militarum forces would gladly keep a squad of Black Templars permanently attached to their forces.
This would ensure they possessed the appropriate firepower to deal with extra-Mundane threats. After all, encountering a Renegade Warband during regular combat often resulted in casualty ratios exceeding one hundred to one, enough to give any Astra Militarum General a severe headache.
Manpower was not scarce, but replenishment took time. The scale of the galaxy meant that these delays could stretch indefinitely. The expansion of the Cicatrix Maledictum and the subsequent turbulent Warp storms often resulted in replacement forces being entirely lost mid-journey or suffering massive attrition.
Units dispatched from recruiting worlds could often only provide immediate relief to ever-hungry front lines, while more distant war zones often failed to receive adequate support. The logistical burden of a small squad of Astartes was far less than the distant, unpredictable flow of replacement troops.
After all, beyond the Departmento Munitorum, there was the even more sluggish Adeptus Administratum. While material shortages could be addressed through persistent urging of the Munitorum, troop replenishment and deployment required coordination with the Administratum.
The utterly baffling slowness of the Administratum's process, thanks to countless foolish nobles and tens of millions of daily petitions, sometimes led the Munitorum to bypass the organization and implement less-than-orthodox measures.
However, so long as all actions were for the perpetuation of the Imperium of Man and the glory of the God-Emperor, such transgressions were generally overlooked.
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