Under the harsh, bright fluorescent lights of the base hall, twenty-six automated servo robots zipped back and forth with surprising efficiency. They were like tireless metallic workers, constantly ferrying the finished, precisely cast parts of the looming Terminator armor. The air itself felt charged with the low hum of machinery and the faint, metallic tang of fresh alloy.
Moments later, David the Man of Iron, personally approached, carrying a large, heavy skeleton forged from the Destroyer. The material seemed to absorb the light, making it look almost black.
A sharp, red light flashed in the optical sensor of Reditus, the small, anti-gravity-suspended servo-skull. Its mechanical voice, tinny and fervent, began its ritualistic function, chanting verses of prayer. Reditus directed the surrounding automated servo robots with a focused intensity, ensuring they gently lowered the final, thick plates of gold-titanium alloy armor shells onto a nearby workbench.
Not far from the construction area, Nolan sat rigidly at a cold, metal round table. His back was perfectly straight, and one of his palms tapped a restless, rhythmic beat against his knee. He was the picture of barely contained anticipation.
The servo-skull Reditus, with its single, spindly servo-arm, drove its anti-gravity engine closer to the long-waiting Nolan. It shook its mechanical clamps, its equivalent of a gesture.
"Lord Primarch! Please prepare yourself!" the servo-skull announced with an eager, high-pitched buzz.
Nolan's face, which had been tight with impatience, smoothed into a mask of neutral resolve. He gave a heavy nod and drew a deep, steadying breath. Slowly, he rose and shrugged off his coat, revealing a set of black rubber tights underneath. The material was covered entirely in alloy interfaces—small sockets and connection points—at every major joint.
Because Nolan had not yet completed all of his Astartes transformation surgeries, David and Reditus had gone through repeated struggles in the design phase. They ultimately had to make some structural modifications to the Terminator Armor. The result was a basic force feedback mode coupled with partially incomplete neural connections. This was the compromise that gave Nolan the ability to effectively control the massive Terminator armor.
The now expressionless Nolan strode forward, his pace measured and steady. The countless automated servo robots immediately registered his approach and rerouted their paths, making a clear, respectful way for him.
He stepped onto a tall metal platform that was heavily engraved with the prayers and litanies of the Adeptus Mechanicus. As soon as he was in position, the fanatical, mechanical sound of Servo-Skull Reditus once again echoed throughout the hall.
"Toll the Great Bell Once!!" Reditus commanded. "Pull the Lever forward to engage the Piston and Pump.!"
David acted as the primary lifting mechanism, blue lights flashing in his eye sockets. The dark, thick, Destroyer metal skeleton was lifted high into the air, its sheer mass casting a brief, moving shadow across the floor. Then, with incredible control, it was slowly lowered and settled perfectly onto Nolan's waiting body.
Reditus waved its servo-arm, zipping and dancing in a tight circle around Nolan. A subtle, rhythmic sound of metal screws being tightened and locked filled the brief silence as the base skeleton of the Terminator armor was gradually and securely installed.
"Toll the Great Bell Twice!" the servo-skull's voice rose in pitch. "With push of Button fire the Engine. And spark Turbine into life!"
The prayers of Servo-Skull Reditus continued without a pause. The automated servo robots, as if receiving a divine command, began to move in concert. They handed the electro-fiber bundles and the necessary servo devices to Reditus, then formed a loose semicircle around the unmoving Nolan. Their rickety metal bodies seemed to be bowing in supplication, a silent act of mechanical prayer.
Reditus took the components and, with astonishing speed and precision, began the next phase. Each electro-fiber bundles was swiftly embedded into the interior of the pitch-black skeleton. The subtle, constant whirring and clicking of the servo devices seemed to represent the joy of the awakening machine spirit!
"Toll the Great Bell Thrice!" Reditus shouted, sounding triumphant. "Sing Praise to the God of All Machines."
The red light in Reditus's single eye flashed rapidly. It shook its servo-arm with enthusiasm and quickly snatched up a multitude of detection instruments passed to it by David: biometric scanners, motion trackers, danger detectors, and more. It skillfully installed these critical internal devices into the growing framework of the Terminator armor.
"Our faith is in the God of All Machines!" the servo-skull declared. "That is why we are invincible!"
The non-stop prayers provided the backdrop as the automatic servo robots surrounding Nolan lifted the final, heavy gold-titanium armor shells. They waved their mechanical manipulators, and a rhythmic, internal clicking sound came from inside their tortoise-shell metal bodies. One by one, the thick, metallic plates clicked, slid, and locked into place, quickly covering Nolan's frame.
As the numerous shell components snapped home and, most crucially, the power backpack was successfully connected, Nolan felt a sudden, profound surge of powerful force course through the suit. He involuntarily moved his newly covered, thick arm. He flexed the five fingers, one by one, and there was no sense of sluggishness at all. The armor moved with him, not against him.
"Praise and glorify our great God of All Machines!" Reditus flew faster now, a buzzing blur of light and prayer. "That is why we are invincible!"
Jars of holy oil were continuously smeared onto both the interior joints and the thick outer shell of the armor. Finally, Reditus used its servo-arm to carefully pick up the newly forged metal helmet, which had a distinct, angular shape. Slowly, reverently, it presented it to Nolan.
Nolan's cyan wolf eyes blinked once, then twice. He stared intently at the helmet's rhombus-shaped front face and the complex, intricate patterns carved into the tactical eyepieces. A slow, genuinely excited smile spread across his face, baring his teeth.
"Lord Primarch! Tech-Priest Reditus presents you with the first gift. Please name this suit of Terminator Armor!"
Red light flashed in Servo-Skull Reditus's eye with such intensity that its mechanical voice seemed to strain with pure, unadulterated excitement.
Nolan's smile widened, showing his fang, a flash of predatory joy. He spoke without a moment's hesitation.
"Call it the Reditus-Pattern Terminator Armor. This is the reward you deserve."
"Praise to the God of All Machines! Praise to the Omnissiah! Praise to the Emperor! Praise to the Primarch!" Tech-Priest Reditus was completely overwhelmed, jumping up and down erratically in the air.
At that moment, David took a purposeful step forward. He raised his metal head, the steady blue light in his eye sockets fixed on Nolan, who now towered over him inside the newly completed armor. David's voice was slow and measured.
"My Lord, I must inform you of this Terminator armor's advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, the skeleton, obtained by smelting those metals from the Destroyer, is extremely strong, even exceeding the original adamantium skeleton's fortitude. Because the gold-titanium alloy shell armor significantly reduces the overall weight, your movement speed will be basically the same as if you were wearing ordinary power armor."
"Furthermore," David continued, "the Terminator armor's most powerful refractor field has been perfectly transferred and integrated; the protection capability against long-range firepower has not decreased at all. Now, for the disadvantages. Even with the increased thickness, the gold-titanium alloy armor shell is far inferior to plasteel and ceramite. The close-combat defense capability is weakened by one-third, but many sets of spare armor shells have already been cast, and you can replace them at any time."
The servo-skull Reditus hurriedly engaged its anti-gravity engine, zipping forward to interrupt David's technical assessment. Its voice was careful and slightly defensive.
"Respected Primarch, allow me to state the following. To modify the overall structure of the armor for your use, the environmental support system has been temporarily removed. In other words, even when fully sealed, you cannot enter the outer space environment to fight. Part of the life support device has also been removed. You can't rely on the Terminator armor to maintain your life after being seriously injured. However, the monitoring of vital signs and self-purification cycles can still be done."
"Reditus, you and David have done a good job," Nolan said softly after listening to both of their technical reports.
He shook his armored head slightly, the grin still tugging at his mouth. "It's even far beyond my imagination. Thank you very much for your hard work!"