Author Notes:
I am back with GSS~! I must admit, the upcoming chapters may or may not be a hit or miss, as I do not expect my recaf intake to do well on my cognitive ability. Do tell me if you see anything to glaring, alright?
Now, as always, thank you for reading, and enjoy the chapter! Do checkout the ongoing newcomer discount and the offered Early Access benefits on my Patreon page!
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"So I am effectively grounded." I deadpan, looking at my tech-infused Teacher, Archmagos Dominus Belisarius Cawl.
Cawl doesn't even pause from his act of appraising a mastercrafted Bolt Rifle that he might have very well looted from the Salamanders' armory for research purposes as he replies.
"It's more like the JTF as a whole has decided that, perhaps, it will be of the best benefits if you are to use your brain matters to finalize the designs on the new prosthetics. Canoness Superior Fortier, especially, has been very vocal in pushing for prosthetics with a friendlier interface to the mortal troops of the JTF. A fact that is well applauded by Colonel Mustahim and the rest of the decision makers, if only because the Cadian 8th and Lucifer Blacks are racking up more and more war casualties in recent days. If you are able to perfect your designs, Little Ein, you shall bless the many disabled veterans of the JTF with another chance to fight for the Emperor of Mankind. You can't do that while going down there, gun-blazing."
Techpriest or not, I am impressed that Belisarius Cawl can say all of that in a heartbeat. I roll my eyes, quipping.
"So I am effectively grounded, still."
Cawl glances at me as he has a Servo-arm carry the Salamander Bolt Rifle onto a display rack.
"I was trying to soften the blow by telling you about your new honorable task, but indeed, what you said isn't incorrect. You and your unit were pulled to the safest spot possible, the Iron Revenant, after your adopted mother learned that you threw hands against a Rubrik Marine. And given the amount of accolades 3rd Platoon has accrued over this single campaign alone, no one will find it remiss that your unit has earned its R&R."
Hearing that, I let out a sigh that is filled with both understanding and exasperation.
"I hate how I can't find it in me to argue against the decision, and her concern for me. But I sincerely hope everyone remembers that, before I am a researcher and inventor, I am a Guardswoman. I owe my share of duty to the Emperor Herself."
"Your loyalty is duly noted, Corporal. Now, are you able to accept your new posting as my sidekick, Little Ein?" Cawl calmly says as his towering body smoothly maneuvers to a stack of cogitators.
"Not like I have any other option to make myself useful, Teacher." I shrug before stepping closer to the cogitators.
Coincidentally, my height means I'm not even as tall as the Dominus' set of mechanical legs. That said, even Astartes will find their imposingness wanting in the face of Belisarius Cawl.
"The Iron Revenant is glad to have you aboard." Cawl adds while his Mechadendrite passes me a dataslate. "That said, you should note that your Platoon has transported its recuperating casualties to a suitable dormitory. They, alongside some others, will be the first to test out your prosthetics, should they be put into production at an appropriate timeline."
I grab the dataslate and view its content, seeing the designs I made before alongside some helpful suggestions and notes from Cawl himself. Nodding, I say.
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's make them an arm and a leg."
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It turns out that making an arm and a leg is taking much longer than anticipated. This is not to mention the more sophisticated things like artificial organs and the interface and software needed to ensure everything runs smoothly and won't end in death by prosthetic rejection. Unfortunately, deaths by prosthetic rejection in the Imperial Guards happen more often than one would expect. This is mostly because the parts we have access to tend to be crude in making and require complex maintenance rites, not to mention the complex physiology of the humans of the 40K universe. Due to minute genome mutation or even Warp fuckery, there has yet to be a one-size-fits-all prosthetic option for the Imperial Guard that is also affordable... If you ignore the Adeptus Mechanicus' offerings, of course. But if the Imperial Guards take it wholesale, we won't be the Imperial Guards anymore, but Skiitari in all but name. That is, if we even have the funding to do so.
Sigh... My apologies for the rant. It appears that actually tackling the surprisingly difficult designing aspect has gotten into me more than I would like. The fact that my Mama and sisters and whatnot are still fighting our archnemesis planetside without me does not help. Nevertheless, after quite some time bulldozing through the challenges with the aid of my Sister Fuxi and Nuwa in Chatroom, I can confidently say that I have at least managed a framework that, hopefully, is capable of being adopted by the entire Imperial Guards as a whole. Most importantly, it should be affordable.
Emphasis on affordable, given that Colonel Mustahim suddenly sent me a message a short while ago about not making anything too complicated or a money sink. The casualties only need to regain their prior healthy combat strength; nothing else is required. But it must be either durable or easily maintained, though both are preferable.
It's a tough set of requirements, that's for sure. Paradoxical as well, but I believe that I can give the good Colonel a satisfactory answer in the form of a scalable prosthetic architecture. While common Imperial Guard prosthetic and artificial organ implants basically require the mutilation of the human body, the things we all manage to cook up are basically modular body parts.
Rather than cutting up the human body and installing the prosthetic directly, as usual, our design uses the equivalent of sockets on the human body that can accept any appropriate prosthetic and even quick-change them on the fly, should the original falter in the line of duty. And because the prosthetics are designed to conform to the baseline human performance, they are surprisingly cheap and can be acquired in bulk to be stored. That said, should someone require a higher-performance prosthetic, the modular aspect of our prosthetic architecture means we can scale up the performance for the appropriate amount of cost. And I think the Robocop Design Knowledge and Fuxi's and Nuwa's inputs come in clutch on this part.
Given our slightly pressing timetable and the wealth of volunteers we have access to, the decision is made to press the first prototype prosthetics and artificial organs into live trials. Of course, given that we didn't even have two full weeks to work out any potential development kinks, I was not an advocate for that call. In fact, it's Belisarius Cawl himself who pushed for the swift implementation of the prototypes. Apparently, he has full confidence in my work, although I most certainly won't be able to both research and manufacture the parts in less than two weeks had it not been for the help of Cawl and my Sisters in another world.
I step through the gateway that leads into a demonstration room, where multiple volunteers eagerly await to accept their new leash in life. Panning my eyes, I see that most of the volunteers hail from my own Regiment, which is understandable considering we are the frontline. However, that's not to say there aren't some Lucifer Blacks and Kasrkin around. The former, in particular, took some scrapes after the breakthrough operation that landed me on the Iron Revenant in the first place. All of them, however, are certified well-worn veterans, the best of the best that each unit has to offer. Undoubtedly the boldest and daredevils as well, considering they somehow crashed the sign-up application to receive the prototypes so they can get back into the fight at the best possible speed.
I then look to the side, seeing the Archmagos Dominus and a few other familiar faces perusing the hardware that will be installed into the volunteers. Some of the parts can be as easy as a touch-and-go, if the volunteers already have attachment sockets surgically implanted in their bodies prior to the occasion. Others, however, like the installation of artificial lungs or eyes, will require a more lengthy procedure that requires the use of anesthesia due to the innate intricacies of dealing with the human internals. Regardless, of the one hundred volunteers, it's expected that around seventy of them shall come out of this room with brand new body parts come the next half a day or so. They will then undergo an adaptation period.
It's expected that the Iron Revenant will soon have a dedicated area for the rehabilitation of these war veterans alongside a full production line of my prosthetic designs. It won't be long till the mortal troops of the Joint Task Force can stop worrying about losing precious veterans faster than they can be made.
I walk closer to join Dominus Cawl's little group, being greeted by none other than Sister Tsavorae upon seeing my approach.
"Ein. You come just in time. The first batch is about to receive their new limbs."
I smile, replying. "Who am I to be late on such an important milestone, Sister? It takes a collective effort to get to this point. I will be doing everyone a disservice if I am not available promptly."
I then turn to greet the others, receiving warm smiles and pats on the shoulder in return. Other than Dominus Cawl and Sister Tsavorae, the rest of my Platoon is here, and even our Company Captain Rogers is here. Captain Rogers, in particular, volunteers to receive both a prosthetic arm and a leg, having lost them when a shell landed near him. Whereas the casualties in my Platoon, namely Drake, Anders, and Surbella, will each receive new organs, an eye, and an arm, respectively.
"Corporal."
"Sir." I return the Captain's greeting with a salute.
"I will salute you for giving us all another chance at kicking asses and taking names, Corporal. But unfortunately, I am sorely missing my right hand. I trust that you, and the Archmagos Dominus here, have everything all squared out for the boys behind me, and myself, right?" The grizzled, borderline battered Captain speaks with a bold smirk. One can only guess how many scars are hidden by his well-kept set of Viking beard.
Frankly speaking, that beard may explain his bombastic battlefield presence that, more often than not, 3rd Platoon tends to miss out on due to our nature as a mobile, special-tasking element in our Company.
"Sir, I will bet my honor and career on the line that the products will pass all of the most rigorous tests with flying colors." I reply confidently, though not without giving my Teacher a side glance. "That said, I believe I would be able to offer you a more plentiful selection, had I had the time. I am talking about things like rocket punch and hidden Laspistol in the arm socket. Such a missed opportunity to make even Skitarii jealous."
"A missed opportunity indeed!" The Captain laughs, while the Archmagos Dominus nearby looks at me with something of an exasperated expression beneath the Mechanicus robe.
"While the notion of hidden weapons inside a prosthetic limb isn't new, it shall be an interesting development indeed to try and incorporate it seamlessly into the Corporal's designs. However, now is not the time to dawdle. We have a tight schedule to run."
"I understand." Captain Rogers nodded. "Well then, allow me to wield my new mechanical babies, Archmagos Dominus. I have high hopes to one day crack some heads with them."
"You need only follow the Servo-skull to the outfitting room, Captain, and others of the first batch." Having said that, Dominus Cawl commands a Servo-skull to appear in front of everyone.
Seeing that, I speak louder, addressing the volunteers in the room.
"Alright, soldiers of the Imperium. Please be patient as we call you in in batches. Which batch you belong to should be visible on the data tag you are wearing on your necks! Check it out if you haven't already done so..."
"... And if you can't see the data tag due to your injuries, don't hesitate to ask the person nearest to you to read it aloud. And if you can't see and hear at the same time, well, at that point, we will escort you in ourselves. Now, batch A1, you're up!"