"This is impossible! For us of the Mechanicum, just cracking the manufacturing process and then reverse-engineering this thing is an extremely challenging project.
"The cost alone would be astronomical.
"We don't even know what materials this gun is made from, or the exact manufacturing process. All we have right now is a finished product, but actually replicating it will be very difficult.
"And you expect to get half the profits from this weapon in the future, just for providing a single sample? That's simply impossible," a Tech-Priest of the Mechanicum shook his head and said.
Although the Mechanicum had submitted to the Emperor, all Mechanicum members still worshipped their Machine God, the Omnissiah.
Their internal organization was well-preserved; they had their own Skitarii, their own Forge Worlds.
The Emperor had even promised the Mechanicum that all Forge Worlds would remain under their administration.
If the Imperium wanted weapons, they had to place orders with the Mechanicum. There was no such thing as "free provision".
At most, they might provide some technical assistance, and that always came with a price.
"I'm not done showing my stuff yet! And that power level detector from earlier, you Mechanicum folks will be responsible for manufacturing those too, right?" Russ interjected.
There were also combat suits, medical pods, and most importantly, the main event: the FTL engine.
He hadn't even demonstrated those yet!
"Great Primarch, we respect you deeply, but please, do not ask for the moon.
"If we're able to successfully replicate this weapon in the future, at most we can give your Legion a 20% discount on weapon purchases from us," said another Mechanicum Tech-Priest.
"Are you joking? I give you this thing and still have to buy it from you?
"Why wouldn't I just build my own factory and make them myself? Have you ever heard of intellectual property?" Russ retorted.
This line was something Axis had taught him. The logic was simple: if I give you the method for making weapons, why should I have to buy from you?
"All Imperial industry depends on the Mechanicum, from the smallest screw to the largest war barge, power field generators, void shields, warp engines, Gellar fields, and power armor, all these are Mechanicum technologies," said a Magos standing by the Emperor, whose body was already 90% mechanical.
"The value of this energy weapon is indeed immense. Since Russ has gifted it to the Imperium, he should be rewarded.
"Here's my decision: The Mechanicum will be responsible for deciphering this energy weapon.
"Once mass production is possible, a munitions factory will be established on the homeworld of the Space Wolves. All Space Wolf warriors will be able to use this weapon free of charge.
"In addition, the Mechanicum will craft a custom Terminator armor for my son, Leman Russ," the Emperor waved his hand, settling the matter.
The Mechanicum of Mars was indeed a major issue, but the Great Crusade had only just begun, and he had to acquire the Mechanicum's technical knowledge.
So certain compromises had to be made, such as allowing the Mechanicum to maintain their faith in the Omnissiah, even though the Imperial Truth dictated that there should be no gods.
To the Mechanicum, even the Emperor was merely the Omnissiah incarnate, or his chosen representative.
As for the Mechanicum issue, the Emperor planned to deal with them once the Imperium had fully completed the Great Crusade.
The Great Crusade was just the first step in his plan to save humanity.
Next, he intended to return to Holy Terra, and there carve a system linking directly to the ancient Eldar Webway.
That way, humanity could finally break free from warp travel, returning to (and even surpassing) the zenith of technology seen before the Age of Strife.
Axis nudged Russ at the side, giving him a meaningful look: "Even the Emperor has to compromise with the Martian Mechanicum at this stage, let alone you!"
If you could snatch even a scrap of meat from their jaws, that was already something to celebrate.
Right now, even the Emperor had to rely on the power of the Mechanicum.
The fact that he could get the Mechanicum to build a munitions factory on Fenris was already a huge win.
Besides, they hadn't even handed over all their energy weapons.
There were still better weapons locked away in King Vegeta's private safe, didn't that guy try to snipe Frieza with a rifle in the Broly movie? He might have failed, but at least it showed those weapons could kill beings with power levels of hundreds of thousands.
Any hot weapon a Saiyan would actually use wasn't going to be mediocre.
That safe absolutely could not fall into the hands of the Mechanicum.
"Russ, if you have anything else, show it all at once," the Emperor said to Russ.
The power level detector was just a small gadget, really just a recon tool.
Unless someone used psycic energy, it couldn't detect much; its practical value was limited.
But this energy weapon had actually surprised the Emperor a bit.
"Next, I'll demonstrate what I'm wearing. This is a combat bodysuit, extremely lightweight and flexible, as if you're just wearing a layer of paper.
"But its defensive power is astounding, to say the least, and to top it off, it keeps the body at a constant temperature. No matter how extreme the conditions, it maintains body heat, and can even shield against some types of cosmic radiation," Russ said, taking off his outer coat to reveal the Saiyan battle suit underneath.
The unusual material of the suit instantly piqued the interest of both the Emperor and the assembled Mechanicum adepts.
The Emperor himself stepped forward and tugged at the soft-looking fabric.
To the touch, it felt like cotton, but it was unbelievably tough.
The chest armor and shoulder guards were made from some special material he had never seen before.
"Let's test just how protective this suit really is," the Emperor said, giving a signal to the Custodes beside him.
A few of the Custodians immediately understood.
They went to one of their fellows, helping him remove his Aquila-pattern Terminator armor.
A few minutes later, a Custodian, now only wearing underclothes on his lower body, stepped in front of Axis.
Leman Russ nodded to Axis, who caught on right away, and handed over a battle suit to the Custodian.
The Custodian easily put on the suit, tailored for an average human physique, then moved around, testing its limits with a series of stretches.
"How does it feel?" the Emperor asked.
"Great Emperor, it's very comfortable. Even though it looked small, once I put it on, I hardly feel it at all, and it's extremely light," the Custodian replied.
"Good. You all, test the defensive strength of this suit," the Emperor ordered with a nod.
After seeing that energy weapon just now, he was now quite curious about this protective gear. Just how good was its defense?