Inside the Martian Council negotiation hall, torrents of binary data violently collided with unprecedented intensity. The air was thick with the acrid scent of overloaded processors and the sharp, sweet smell of rapidly circulating coolant.
The Forge World Alliance, led by Archmagos Vox, engaged in a war without smoke or fire, but one that concerned the future, against the Council delegation representing Martian orthodoxy.
Archmagos Vox stood at the center of the Alliance. His multi-tread chassis was firmly anchored to the ground, and the mechanical tendrils on his back were no longer in standby mode but poised like ready-to-strike snakes.
Their data interfaces were tightly connected to a temporary array of Cogitators, processing a vast amount of legal statutes and historical precedents at astonishing speed.
His vox-caster no longer concealed itself, projecting precisely encoded binary arguments across the space in amplified, metal-resonant, powerful tones:
"The current technical certification and production license system was established during the Unification Wars of Terra, aimed at integrating scattered technical forces to serve the grand objective of the Great Crusade.
No one denies its historical merit." Vox began with a gravity-filled historical reference, but immediately, the data flow became sharp and critical.
"However, the Great Crusade is a thing of the past, and the Imperium has endured the turmoil of the Great Heresy. This system has gradually become fossilized, a constraint impeding the spread of the Omnissiah's glory!"
He pulled up a series of data streams, pointing to the highlighted sections: "The Martian standard technical certification process takes an average of thirty-five point seven standard Terran years.
The rejection rate for non-Mars affiliated Forge Worlds applying for new technology production licenses is as high as sixty-two percent, with eighty-five percent of those cases being rejected due to 'non-critical deviation in format and standard templates'!"
"This is the imprisonment of knowledge! This is the murder of productivity!" Magos Vladimir of Gryphonne IV roared as he cut into the dialogue, his binary code carrying a heavy impact unique to his Forge World, like the striking of a forge hammer:
"Gryphonne IV optimized the heat dissipation efficiency of the Mark IV Multi-melta, but because the energy circuit layout deviated by three percent from the Martian standard, it was deemed a 'non-standard heresy' and forbidden from deployment! Is this reasonable?"
Magos Thorne of Lucius supplemented with cold, surgical-precision code: "Data shows that in the last three hundred years, the proportion of new technology projects independently developed by non-Mars Forge Worlds and ultimately certified is less than five percent.
This is not because other worlds lack creativity, but because the existing patent barriers and licensing system systematically stifle the diversity of technical development.
We demand that all Forge Worlds enjoy undisputed patent ownership over their independently developed technology and have the right to conduct limited technical sharing within the Alliance without Martian approval!"
The response of the Chief Archmagos of Mars was like a cold codex: "The unification of technical standards is the cornerstone for ensuring the logistical support and equipment compatibility of Imperial armed forces.
Any 'optimization' that deviates from the standard risks unforeseen complications. Mars, as the guardian of the Omnissiah's will, has the responsibility to maintain technical purity and stability."
"Stability? Or stagnation?" Vox immediately countered, his mechanical tendril tracing a sharp waveform representing doubt in the air: "When xenos fleets rage across the borders, and the whispers of Chaos echo in the Warp, we refuse an improvement that could increase shield efficacy by five percent, all because of a standard template formulated ten thousand years ago? Is this protection, or is it pedantry?"
He scanned the Martian Archmagi present, his human eye flashing with an all-knowing light: "Archmagi, you know full well. We are gathered here today ostensibly for the ownership of the Warp drive. But its appearance is merely a mirror, reflecting the pervasive rust and cracks that already cover the existing chain of technical control!"
"We are not seeking to negate Mars' contributions or standing." Vox's voice softened slightly, but its power remained undiminished. "What we demand is 'openness' and 'sharing.'
We demand the breaking of unnecessary monopolies and the establishment of a fairer, more efficient alliance for technical development and dissemination.
Mars may retain research leadership over its core sacred artifacts, but it should no longer extend its tentacles into every workshop of every Forge World, suffocating every tiny spark of innovation."
The negotiation entered its most intense core phase. The Alliance's objective was clear: to break the absolute monopoly on technical certification and production licenses, and to establish patent sovereignty for all Forge Worlds over their own technologies.
The Martian side, meanwhile, fiercely defended the banners of "standard unification" and "technical purity," refusing to back down.
The binary clash devolved into a literal word-by-word struggle over countless specific technical cases and historical regulatory clauses. Data packets crisscrossed above the negotiation table like dense crossfire, and every analysis was accompanied by enormous computational load.
Several lower-ranking Priests were forced offline due to processor overload; their mechanical bodies emitted harsh alarms and were swiftly dragged from the scene by attendant Servitors.
Just as both sides reached a deadlock, Osiris' steady statement cut into the data storm.
"Archmagi," his vox-caster emitted precisely modulated binary code, "what we are arguing over should not merely be the division of power."
All data interfaces unanimously turned towards his direction.
Osiris' mechanical body projected a clear data stream onto the negotiation table: "According to existing records, the non-combat loss rate of Imperial Navy vessels due to Warp storms has increased by seventeen percent over the past century. The average resupply delay for border worlds has increased by thirty-eight standard days."
His optical lenses scanned the Martian Archmagi present, his code carrying undeniable technical authority: "The Warp drive can effectively alleviate these issues. However, if its dissemination is delayed due to patent disputes, every standard year of delay means more Imperial worlds will fall into isolation, and more vessels will be lost in the Warp."
This statement brought a brief moment of silence to the negotiation hall.
Osiris continued transmitting data: "I support the proposal that all Forge Worlds enjoy patent rights over their self-developed technology. This concerns not only fairness but also efficiency.
When every Forge World is free to develop and optimize technology, the pace of technical advancement for the entire Imperium's Mechanicum will achieve a qualitative leap."
He paused, allowing the data flow to settle in their processors: "As for the Warp drive, it should serve as a demonstration—proof of the breakthroughs that an open technological environment can deliver.
I suggest using this as an opportunity to establish a contribution-based technical sharing platform, rather than continuing to maintain a fossilized monopoly system."
The data streams from the Martian side showed a momentary flicker of disorder. The Chief Archmagos' bionic eyes blinked rapidly, clearly engaging in high-intensity computation.
Osiris' intervention perfectly pulled the argument back from a pure struggle for interests to the essential consideration of technical efficacy. The data he presented on the state of the Imperium made any delay justified by "stability" seem pale in comparison.
Vox opportunely took over the program flow: "The words of Magos Osiris are precisely the stance of our Alliance. Technical progress must serve the needs of the Imperium, not become a tool for maintaining privilege."
Faced with the irrefutable technical data provided by Osiris and the rare unified front of the Forge Worlds, the Martian delegation showed noticeable signs of wavering for the first time.
The data streams they transmitted were no longer as resolute as before, beginning to show signs of compromise and calculation.