As the transport ship docked with the "Eternal Quest," Osiris immediately ordered the STC system to be transferred to a pre-prepared dedicated compartment.
This compartment, located in the core area of the warship, had undergone emergency modifications. The thick armored walls were covered with newly installed energy conduits and data interfaces, and the air was filled with the smells of ozone and coolant.
Under the levitation effect of the anti-gravity platform, the huge spherical STC system was smoothly moved into the center of the cabin.
The tech priests used heavy-duty clamps to securely connect the system base to the deck before beginning the docking of the energy system.
The thick main power cable is connected to the input of the STC system, while the secondary power conduits are connected to the various auxiliary units of the system.
"Power connection complete, ready for system startup test," the chief tech priest reported, his mechanical fingers moving rapidly across the control panel.
Osiris stood in front of the main control panel, his optical lens fixed on the energy readings: "Gradually increase the energy supply, starting with five percent power."
As energy input gradually increases, the STC system begins to emit a low hum.
The textures on the surface of the spherical body lit up in sequence, emitting a soft white glow. The surrounding robotic arms vibrated slightly, emitting a hissing sound as the hydraulic system activated.
When the power is increased to 15 percent, the core unit of the STC system is fully activated.
Several holographic projectors began to operate, projecting complex three-dimensional structural diagrams into the air.
The sound of materials circulating could be heard from inside the material synthesis reactor, and the indicator lights on the testing instruments flashed regularly.
"All major functional modules of the system have responded," the tech priest said, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "The energy flow is stable within the expected range."
However, further testing quickly revealed the problem.
Although the system's central processing unit is still running, its response speed is significantly lower than the standard value.
There may be a long delay when querying the database, and some advanced function options may be grayed out and unavailable.
"Multiple data corruptions have been detected," the priest in charge of system analysis reported. "Approximately forty percent of the database is inaccessible. The core machine is unresponsive and appears to have entered some kind of hibernation state."
Osiris retrieved the system logs and found that the last complete record was more than 700 years ago.
Subsequent records were intermittent, with many data blocks showing as corrupted.
Clearly, this precious system had been operating without proper maintenance throughout the long years of Van Sauer family control.
Nevertheless, the basic manufacturing functions of the STC system remain intact.
During the test, the system successfully generated a complete manufacturing blueprint for a standard power armor according to the instructions, including detailed specifications and assembly procedures for each part.
The materials synthesis unit has also proven its ability to produce a variety of special alloys and composite materials.
After the materials were put in, the STC system quickly printed out this set of standard power armor, which was far superior in function and quality to the Empire's current mainstream products of the same type.
"Radiation level monitoring shows that the radiation leakage during system operation is 400 percent higher than the safety standard," the environmental monitoring priest warned. "Long-term exposure can cause serious damage to unprotected biological tissues."
Osiris and all the tech priests seemed to disregard this warning.
In the doctrines of Mechanics, radiation is considered a blessing of Omnesia, a natural byproduct of the operation of technological artifacts.
The equipment of the friars was specially designed to protect against radiation, and the mechanical modifications made by the tech priests themselves also gave them a high degree of tolerance to it.
Looking at the various faults and damages listed in the system status report, the tech priests could not hide their heartache.
A senior priest couldn't help but express his indignation: "The Van Sauer family is completely unworthy of such a relic! They can't even do the most basic maintenance!"
This anger is not directed at the STC system itself.
On the contrary, every member of the Cult of Mechanics is well aware of the system's invaluable worth—it is the only known fully functional STC system in the Imperium of Man.
During the Golden Age of the Great Crusade, the Empire of Man discovered a few STC systems that were still operational.
However, all these precious discoveries were lost in the Great Rebellion.
To prevent Horus' army from acquiring one of the systems, the loyalist forces had to destroy the complete STC system themselves.
The other relatively complete systems were also destroyed or lost in the war.
Since then, most of the STCs discovered by the human empire have been scattered design blueprints or incomplete subsystems, namely the so-called STC fragments and templates. They can only obtain the design blueprints left behind by humans in the dark age of technology, and can no longer provide users with customized STC templates from the AI of the STC system as in legend.
A complete, still functional STC system has become a legendary existence.
Osiris was keenly aware that if the Mars headquarters and the Empire's top brass knew that he had acquired a fully functional STC system, the shock this news would cause would be no less than that caused by his previous invention of the warp drive.
This not only means the restoration of a large number of lost technologies, but also represents a reconnection with the technological heritage of humanity's dark age of technology.
"Initiate a comprehensive diagnostic procedure," Osiris ordered. "Log all available functional modules and assess the possibility of data recovery. Prioritize repairing subsystems related to manufacturing functions."
The tech priests immediately got to work.
The diagnostic probes connect to the various interfaces of the system and begin a detailed scan of the status of each functional module.
The data recovery team attempted to repair the damaged database blocks, while the engineering team began developing a detailed maintenance plan.
For the next few hours, the cabin was filled with the sounds of various machines operating and the synthesized voices of the tech priests exchanging data.
The STC system emits a stable glow when running at full power, but occasionally experiences slight fluctuations due to the instability of a certain subsystem.
Osiris stood in front of the control panel, receiving a continuous stream of test data.
Despite its many flaws, the basic functionality it demonstrates is already quite impressive.
The restored manufacturing capacity alone is enough to significantly improve the equipment level of the "Eternal Quest" and its affiliated forces.
More importantly, this system provided unprecedented technical support for his research project.
Whether it's research into the Emperor's legacy or gene seed optimization projects, breakthroughs can now be achieved with the help of this STC system.
When the first complete system evaluation report was presented to him, Osiris began to plan his next steps.
He needs to organize a dedicated technical team to be responsible for the daily maintenance and further repair of the STC system, while also establishing strict security protocols to ensure that this priceless treasure does not fall into the hands of others.
The cogitator array on the Eternal Quest began operating at full capacity, processing the massive amounts of data transmitted from the STC system.
In this cold space, a technological relic connecting humanity's glorious past and possible future is slowly awakening under the careful care of the priests of the Mechanicus.