Osiris returned to Holy Terra. When the "Eternal Quest" finished its hybrid voyage and emerged from the warp onto the outer edge of the solar system, the ancient world shrouded in golden light was already in sight.
After rigorous identity verification and multiple security checks, the warship was granted permission to dock at the palace's dedicated rail pier.
The palace sits atop the ruins of the Himalayas, its majestic buildings extending like the mountain range itself. Towering spires and sturdy fortresses form the imposing outline of the center of human imperial power.
Osiris' massive mechanical body passed through one heavily guarded palace gate after another.
Guided by a member of the Imperial Guard, Osiris arrived at Rogal Dorn's command hall.
There are no superfluous decorations here; the cold metal walls are covered with tactical holographic projections, and countless data streams flicker and flow in the air.
In the center of the hall, the Primarch's enormous figure stood before a massive star map, which marked the war and defense deployments throughout the Empire.
"Magos Osiris." Dorn turned around, his voice like the grinding of rocks, carrying an undeniable authority.
Even with Osiris' modified body, he could still feel the immense aura originating from the Emperor's creation when standing in front of the Gene Primitive.
"Primarch," Osiris replied smoothly in a synthesized voice.
Dorn didn't waste time on polite small talk; he went straight to the information on the Imperial Fist Gene Seed Repair Project: "Magos Alvaro Weiss has encountered an insurmountable technical problem."
The soldiers in the rapid conscription force experienced systemic rejection reactions after receiving organ transplants, which current medical methods cannot effectively control.
The holographic projection displays detailed medical data and cases of failure.
Several soldiers who underwent the modification developed symptoms of nerve tissue necrosis and endocrine disorders. Two soldiers even entered a state of apparent death and were forced to enter a static field to maintain their lives.
"Magos Weiss believes the problem stems from a long-term mutation in the gene seed," Dorn's gaze was sharp as a knife, "but I need to know the truth. Is there any possibility that these warriors can be restored to their full potential?"
Osiris' mechanical tentacles connect to the data interface and rapidly process massive amounts of medical records.
His optical lens flashed continuously, analyzing every abnormal data point.
"Rejection is indeed related to adaptive variations in gene seeds," Osiris finally answered, "but it is not irreversible. The problem is that we are trying to impose a standard template on a physiological system that has already formed a unique balance."
In fact, this situation was not unexpected; he had considered this issue when he first accepted the task and formulated the initial modification plan.
However, he did not expect that the problem was even worse than he had anticipated, and this was clearly beyond the scope of what Magos Weiss could handle.
It's not that he lacks skill, but rather that he doesn't understand Space Marines enough.
Osiris pulled up a new set of analytical data and continued to explain to Rogal Dorn: "The bodies of the Expeditionary Force soldiers have developed a unique compensatory mechanism due to the long-term absence of key organs. Simple organ transplantation would disrupt this balance and lead to systemic collapse."
Dorn silently examined the data, his resolute face revealing no emotional fluctuation. He simply asked Osiris, "The solution?"
"We need to adjust the transplantation plan, adopt customized organ cultivation technology, and simultaneously recalibrate the gene seed," Osiris replied. "This requires going to the Mountain Array to conduct on-site testing on the test soldiers."
"Alright." Dorn nodded. "The Mountain Array is ready to receive you. Apothecary Togal and Magos Weiss will fully cooperate with your work."
After the brief report, Osiris left the command hall under the guidance of his attendant.
Behind him, Dorn turned his attention back to the star map; countless problems still lay within the Empire's borders that required his attention.
After leaving the palace, Osiris immediately headed to the Imperial Fist's battle group fortress, Mountain Formation.
This massive mobile fortress, suspended in Terra's orbit, is comparable in size to a small moon.
When Osiris' shuttle passed through several kilometers of armored layers and entered the interior of the Mountain Array, a complete space city came into view, with layers of decks extending upwards and giant columns supporting towering domes.
Guided by the Imperial Fist Guard squad, Osiris traversed a complex network of passageways and finally arrived at the Chapter Apothecary Sanctuary.
Apothecary Togal and Magos Weiss had been waiting there for some time.
"Magos Osiris," Togal spoke first, his voice coming through the speaker on his helmet, "the situation is more complicated than we anticipated."
Alvaro brought up a holographic projection, displaying the latest experimental data: "According to your plan, we have successfully cultivated and implanted Sus-an Membrane and the Omophagea."
Initially, fusion went well, but a systemic rejection reaction began to appear in the third week.
The projection clearly showed the physiological data changes of the test soldiers.
Progressive necrosis occurs in the tissue at the nerve junction, the endocrine system becomes severely disordered, and even the normal function of other implanted organs is affected.
"What's most puzzling," Togal added, "is that the rejection reaction doesn't appear immediately, but only begins to show after the organ's function has initially stabilized. We've tried all the standard anti-rejection protocols, but with little effect."
Weiss pulled up a gene sequence comparison chart.
"Based on my analysis, the problem may lie in the long-term adaptive variation of the gene seed. The gene seeds of these rapid conscription soldiers have been running for decades without key organs, and their expression patterns have undergone subtle changes."
Osiris' mechanical tentacles connected to the Sanctuary's data interface and quickly browsed the original experimental records.
His optical lens lingered briefly on several anomalous data points.
"Your judgment is correct," Osiris' synthesized voice echoed within the sanctuary, "but this is only the surface. The real problem lies in the overall reconstruction of the neuroendocrine network."
He brought up a new set of analytical charts.
"The long-term absence of key regulatory organs led to the soldiers' physiological systems developing a compensatory mechanism. The implantation of the new organ disrupted this fragile balance, triggering a chain reaction."
Togal carefully examined the data. "Does this mean we need to readjust the entire implantation protocol?"
"Not only that." Osiris' mechanical finger pointed to several key parameters, "The gene seed must be recalibrated simultaneously, otherwise the new organ will not be able to fully integrate with the existing physiological system."
The array of thinkers within the sanctuary began operating at high speed, and a new treatment plan was gradually taking shape within Osiris' treatment core.
Meanwhile, the defensive turrets on the exterior of the Mountain Array slowly rotated, this ancient fortress continuing to guard the cradle of the human empire.