Who Really Was Kelbor Hal? – Part 2

The Red Planet: Mars, an Orb of Iron and Secrets
Welcome back to our multi-part series, where we delve deep into the rich lore of Warhammer 40,000. This time, we tread the red sands of Mars, the Forge World, and its tumultuous history with the Imperium of Man.

After humanity’s darkest age, the Age of Strife, Mars had become a bastion for the remnants of mankind. The Magos who survived the perilous jumps through the warp, guided by long-dead Navigators, colonized planets and reforged them in the image of Mars. Yet, their thirst for knowledge was insatiable, leading them to the cradle of humanity – Terra.

Their arrival on Terra was met with resistance. The Emperor, having already built his realm on the vestiges of ancient science, was reluctant to share his knowledge. As majestic as he was ominous, he stood upon the red planet surrounded by an aura of psychic energy, causing a stir amongst the Tech-Priests of Mars. They had long since purged any signs of mutation and thus, were perplexed by the Golden Warrior’s psychic abilities.

In awe, many Tech-Priests saw in the Emperor, the embodiment of the Omnissiah, the Machine God they worshipped. His grandeur spoke of a time when Terra and Mars cooperated, of his vision to resurrect the Golden Age of humanity and his ambition to build a Galactic Empire. Yet, his words bore a veiled ultimatum; behind him stood thousands of transhuman warriors, ready to obliterate any opposition.

The Emperor offered a hand of alliance, prosperity, and a veiled dagger. With no other choice, the Mechanicum of Mars accepted Terra’s ultimatum and were granted conditional political autonomy. They were allowed to follow their faith, which contradicted the widely accepted Imperial Truth. The Emperor, aware that many already revered him as the Omnissiah, decided to postpone imposing atheism on them.

In this alliance, Mars was allocated six Navigator houses and Imperial Astropaths, enabling the Tech-Priests to unite the Forge Worlds and continue their quest for knowledge across the galaxy. In return, the Mechanicum was obligated to arm the Imperium with weapons, ships, materials, and technicians for the commencement of the Great Crusade.

Yet, the Emperor imposed restrictions on his new allies. He forbade the pursuit of certain types of knowledge, primarily the development and study of Silica Animus, artificial intelligence with a mind of its own that could rebel against man. Such technologies, hidden beneath the sands of Mars, were ordered to be sealed in the Vaults of Moravec, accessible only to the Emperor or his trusted agents.

Despite these conditions, the Red Planet became a vassal of Terra, supplying inventions and innovations for the Great Crusade. However, the ember of dissatisfaction smoldered within the Mechanicum, awaiting the right moment to ignite.

Two centuries later, Fabricator General Kelbor Hal, augmented by more than 80% and devoid of his natural flesh, gathered like-minded individuals. He was a paragon of the Mechanicum, having developed more technological processes and achieved the largest increase in production quotas in the history of Mars. Yet, his pride evaporated when his organic brain was replaced with synthetic synapses and efficient conductors, facilitating logical thinking.

The arrival of an emissary of the Warmaster, Regulus, presenting samples of Standard Template Constructs (STCs) as a token of goodwill, marked the onset of the Schism of Mars. The Warmaster sought Mars’ support, offering an alliance of equals, not of master and servant, enticing the Mechanicum with blueprints of incredible machines capable of creating anything the operator wished for. Such machines were the relics of an era when humanity expanded across the galaxy. This led to a time of strife, and the discovery of a functioning STC remained the Mechanicum’s greatest dream. The schematics, a testament to the glory of the past, were a tantalizing offer that the Fabricator General found hard to resist.

Join us next time as we explore the consequences of this tempting offer and the far-reaching effects it had on the Red Planet and the Imperium.

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