Chapter 467: The Fate of the Experimental Subjects
After the cultivation protocol entered its automated operational phase, it did not require Ryo to conduct uninterrupted, twenty-four-hour monitoring.
After confirming that the vital signs of the first twenty Aspirants were stable and the cultivation vat systems were operating normally, he transferred the daily monitoring tasks to the Tech-Priest team of the Spear of Dorn.
These Tech-Priests would be responsible for recording data, adjusting nutrient solution ratios, and promptly reporting any anomalies.
Upon completing the handover of duties, Ryo turned his attention to the other thirty candidates who had been eliminated during the drawing phase.
After completing all their training, these individuals had lost the opportunity to become Astartes purely due to the randomness of the draw.
According to the traditional conventions of the vast majority of Astartes Chapters in the Imperium, such eliminated individuals were typically classified as "failures."
No matter how excellent the qualities they displayed in their prior training, as long as they failed to complete the final augmentation, they were deemed defective products.
Although the disposal methods for such personnel varied among the Chapters, they essentially all followed the principle of "maximizing utility."
The handling method of the Black Templars Chapter was quite representative.
They would subject the eliminated to mechanization, transforming them into servo-skulls or more complex combat servitors.
These augmented individuals would continue to serve the Chapter, with some even being assigned to the successfully ascended Astartes initiates of the same batch to serve as live targets for training.
This arrangement both solved the disposal problem of the eliminated and provided practical combat training targets for the initiates.
The Space Wolves Chapter employed even more extreme screening standards when selecting their Iron Priests.
In every selection, only one person could pass; all other participants would be converted into servitors.
Ironically, the battlefield command over these servitors fell precisely to that single successful candidate.
In comparison, the approach of the Ultramarines Chapter appeared relatively mild.
They would draft the candidates who failed the augmentation into the Ultramar Auxilia, allowing them to continue serving the Imperium with mortal bodies.
This arrangement at least preserved the integrity of the eliminated as independent individuals.
Looking at the general practices of the major Chapters across the Imperium, tolerance for augmentation failures was universally low.
In the value system of the Astartes, successfully passing the augmentation was the absolute standard for measuring an individual's worth; those who failed to meet the mark rarely received due respect or treatment.
It was against this backdrop that Ryo's act of accepting these thirty eliminated individuals, from a certain perspective, instead provided them with new possibilities.
As subjects for the novel gene-seed augmentation experiment, they at least gained a second chance—even though this chance was accompanied by extremely high risks and uncertainty.
Within the research system of the Adeptus Mechanicus, serving as experimental subjects at least preserved their integrity as independent biological entities. Compared to being converted into servitors stripped of their autonomous consciousness, this was undoubtedly a relatively better outcome.
From the observation room adjacent to the laboratory, Ryo retrieved the detailed dossiers of these thirty men.
Everyone's training data, physiological indicators, and psychological evaluation reports were clearly presented on the screens.
His processing core began assigning appropriate experimental groups for each person based on this information.
Some would be used to test the stability of the gene-seed, some would participate in compatibility experiments, and others would attempt to activate gene sequences that normally remained dormant.
The Two Choices
Meanwhile, the thirty eliminated candidates were settled in a dedicated waiting area.
The vast majority of them still felt bewildered about their future fates. Some conversed in low voices, trying to deduce what the so-called "important mission" could possibly be. Others remained silent, sitting quietly on their assigned bunks. A few displayed obvious unease, pacing back and forth across the room.
A Tech-Priest walked into the waiting area and began conducting basic medical examinations and biological sample collection for everyone.
This process proceeded quietly and efficiently, devoid of superfluous explanation or interaction.
The candidates cooperatively completed all the examinations, yet the confusion in their eyes did not dissipate.
Ryo observed the situation in the waiting area through the surveillance system.
In his logical evaluation, the value of these eliminated individuals as experimental materials was quite considerable.
Having undergone rigorous screening and training, both their physical constitutions and spiritual resilience far exceeded those of ordinary humans. They could withstand more complex augmentation procedures and provide higher-quality experimental data.
As the final medical report was uploaded to the database, Ryo began formulating the detailed research plan.
The thirty eliminated candidates were escorted out of the Spear of Dorn and transferred via transport shuttles to the Eternal Seeker cruiser docked in orbit.
The biological laboratory inside the warship was already prepared; compared to the facilities in the fortress, the equipment here was even more precise.
Inside the preparation room adjacent to the laboratory, Ryo's mechanical body stood towering before the thirty candidates.
They had just completed the transfer from the fortress to the warship, and most still bore confusion and unease on their faces.
The laboratory's cold metallic walls and the scent of disinfectant permeating the air deepened this tense atmosphere.
"You failed to pass the final selection," Ryo's synthesized voice rang out in the room, devoid of any euphemistic cushioning. "But now, you face two choices."
The candidates held their breath, their gazes focused entirely on the Magos.
"The first choice: Participate in the experimental research of the novel gene-seed. You will become the first batch of subjects to receive the improved version of the gene-seed. This process carries risks, and the success rate is not one hundred percent. But if successful, you still have the opportunity to become Astartes, albeit through an unconventional path."
A suppressed wave of discussion rippled through the room.
Hope reignited in the eyes of some, while others revealed expressions of doubt.
"The second choice: Refuse to participate in the experiment." Ryo continued, his optical lenses sweeping over everyone's faces. "To ensure the confidentiality of the research project, you will be converted into servitors. This will preserve your lives, but you will lose the majority of your autonomous consciousness."
This choice plunged everyone into silence.
Servitor conversion was a common sight in the Imperium. They all knew exactly what that meant—although theoretically still "alive," they would forever lose their sense of self.
"You have ten minutes to consider." After uttering this sentence, Ryo fell silent. His mechanical body remained motionless as a statue; only the data streams occasionally flashing across his optical lenses indicated he was still active.
The candidates looked at each other in dismay.
The first choice offered the possibility of becoming Astartes, but the risks were unknown. The second choice, though allowing them to live, demanded the price of losing themselves.
A young man from the mid-hive was the first to step forward. "Lord Magos, I choose to participate in the experiment. Since I have already come this far, I do not want to give up the chance to become an Astartes."
Following him, another voice rang out. "I also choose the experiment. Better to take a gamble than to eke out a living as a servitor."
Gradually, more and more people made their choice.
Ultimately, all thirty men chose to participate in the experiment.
For them, even a sliver of hope was worth risking everything for.
Although becoming a servitor would keep them alive, it was a far cry from the power and glory they pursued.
"Choices confirmed," Ryo received everyone's decisions. "The experimental procedures are about to begin. Remember, this is your own choice."
Guided by the Tech-Priests, the candidates began entering the preparation zone inside the laboratory one by one.
They would undergo basic medical examinations before being assigned to different experimental groups based on their respective physical conditions and genetic traits.
Ryo turned and walked toward the main console, beginning to pull up everyone's detailed dossiers.
In his logical evaluation, these candidates, having volunteered for the experiment, could provide higher-quality data than if they had been coerced.
Their active cooperation would aid in improving the accuracy of the experimental data, while simultaneously reducing the resistive reactions that might occur during the experimental process.
With preparations complete, the thirty candidates were about to begin their careers as experimental subjects aboard the Eternal Seeker.
Compared to their peers who were directly converted into servitors, they had at least retained a shred of hope—even if that hope was accompanied by immense risk. Under the Imperium's harsh system, this was perhaps already the best possible choice.
(End of Chapter)