Nolan woke refreshed from sleep that had consumed him completely.
The catalepsean node could defer rest, but not eliminate the need entirely. Thirty days of continuous operations in the Warhammer universe had accumulated a debt that even enhanced physiology couldn't ignore forever. His body had demanded payment, and he'd surrendered to unconsciousness for nearly ten hours.
When awareness returned, it came gradually rather than with the instant alertness of combat situations. Nolan's enhanced senses came online one by one, cataloging his environment, confirming safety, verifying that sleep had actually accomplished restoration.
He felt better. Genuinely better. Muscle soreness had faded. Mental fog had cleared. The burning sensation in his lungs from toxic atmosphere exposure was gone. His body had used the downtime to complete repairs that even panacea couldn't accelerate.
After rising and completing basic hygiene, Nolan first went to the training ground at Primogenitor Isle Base.
The facility was outdoors, exposed to Antarctic wind and ice. Most people would have found the environment hostile. For Nolan, it was merely refreshing.
He completed his daily warm-up activities with mechanical precision.
The routine was sacred, never skipped regardless of circumstances. Enhanced physiology required maintenance through consistent exercise. Primarch genetics demanded challenges that would break normal humans.
Nolan ran through combat forms with the Blood Scythe, the Warscythe carving patterns through frozen air. He practiced with the Heart of the Furnace, dry-firing the plasma revolver to maintain muscle memory. He cycled through unarmed techniques, testing speed and power against training dummies that were regularly replaced due to damage.
The physical exertion felt wonderful after days of enforced rest, blood pumping, muscles working, systems operating at designed capacity.
Then he turned around and headed toward the base hall, intending to handle accumulated business.
Thirty days in Warhammer time translated to only three days here, but three days of operations still generated paperwork. Supply requisitions needed approval. Training schedules required review. Personnel matters awaited decision.
But before Nolan reached the administrative center, something interrupted.
An automatic servo robot waving mechanical tentacles stopped directly in front of him.
The machine was one of thousands maintaining base operations, indistinguishable from its fellows except for the message it carried. Its optical sensors focused on Nolan with machine patience, waiting for acknowledgment.
"Raditus invites you? Got it."
Nolan, who squinted at the hovering automaton, shook his head slightly.
The tech-priest wanted something. Probably related to the Leman Russ tank designs David had delivered. Or maybe new discoveries in the space hulk. With Raditus, requests could range from trivial to apocalyptic.
Nolan thought for a moment and temporarily changed his route.
Administrative work could wait. When Raditus specifically summoned him rather than using communication channels, it usually meant something requiring immediate personal attention.
He walked toward the kitchen where the Gang Dogs congregated.
If he was going to deal with the tech-priest's enthusiasms, he needed fuel first. Ten hours of sleep had restored his body, but enhanced metabolism burned through reserves quickly. Food was tactical necessity.
Soon after, Nolan emerged from the kitchen.
He was struggling to eat while walking, one hand holding a massive quantity of food. Multiple protein bars. Synthesized meat paste tubes. Calorie-dense supplements that tasted like cardboard but provided nutrition his enhanced biology required.
The Gang Dogs had looked up from their own meals as he'd entered, offering respectful nods. A few had grinned at seeing their commander reduced to eating while walking. Nolan had grabbed supplies without ceremony and departed.
Now he rushed toward the direction of Second Son Island, chewing mechanically.
Nolan had just stepped into the bustling foundry hall when Raditus appeared.
The tech-priest drove his anti-gravity engine toward Nolan at speed, servo-skull body bobbing in the air like an eager puppy. The yellowed bone of his housing gleamed under industrial lighting. Red optical sensors blazed with their characteristic intensity.
"Lord Primarch, I have received the Leman Russ tank design drawings that you asked David to send."
Raditus's mechanical voice carried enthusiasm that most tech-priests would have suppressed as inefficient. But Raditus had never been most tech-priests.
"However, the production line of the Thunderhawk transport aircraft is currently being built. There will not be much manpower available for the time being, unless we add more robots to increase quantity."
The statement was factual, delivered without complaint. Just tactical reality requiring command decision.
Nolan, who was chewing food in his mouth, swallowed the last bite with effort.
The synthesized protein tasted like absolutely nothing, texture like compressed sawdust. But it provided 3,000 calories per bar, which was what mattered.
He shook his head and said clearly:
"The Leman Russ tanks are not needed for the time being. There is no rush to put them on the production line."
Strategic prioritization. The tanks were valuable, but not immediately critical.
"Even if we encounter special circumstances, I can find a way to temporarily transfer a few of them through the 'miracle'..."
The revelation that Tetim Hive could produce vehicles on demand changed resource calculations dramatically. Why build production capacity locally when he could simply requisition from loyal Imperial worlds?
"Right now, the Thunderhawk transport aircraft to increase the base's transportation capacity is more important."
Mobility mattered more than armor. The ability to deploy forces rapidly, to move between continents, to respond to threats before they metastasized.
Nolan's tone became slightly sharper. "Raditus, is this why you came to me?"
Surely the tech-priest hadn't summoned him personally just to discuss production scheduling.
"Don't you have a communicator?"
The reminder was pointed. They had vox-channels. Data-links. Multiple methods of remote communication that didn't require face-to-face meetings.
Raditus, whose eyes were flashing with red light, rose and fell several times in the air.
The movement was agitated, excited. His servo-skull housing bobbed like a cork on water, anti-gravity engine compensating for enthusiasm that exceeded operational parameters.
He spoke in a hurried tone, words tumbling over each other:
"Lord Primarch, of course it's not just this trivial matter. After a long period of unremitting effort, Doom and I have finally repaired several ship-borne void shields recovered from the space hulk!"
The announcement carried pride and accomplishment in equal measure.
"And we successfully connected them in parallel to become a super-large void shield with a much larger protective area that can be used for the defense facilities of the Twin Islands!"
Nolan's attention sharpened immediately. Void shield technology was game-changing, the kind of defensive capability that made fortresses nearly invulnerable to conventional attack.
"But this has created a small problem..."
Raditus's tone shifted to something approaching uncertainty, which was concerning from a tech-priest.
"There is one thing you may not be aware of. Generally speaking, void shields using Warp technology can distort and deflect the local space at the impact point to achieve defense against long-range attacks."
The explanation was technical but clear. Void shields didn't absorb damage, they redirected it.
"That is to say, except for some energy attacks that are offset by the void shield on the spot, most of the damage will be transferred to the Warp."
Standard Imperial technology, relying on humanity's one reliable advantage: the ability to dump problems into the Immaterium.
"However, coincidentally, after our repeated testing, the void shield can be used smoothly in the native world."
Which was unexpected but welcome. Warp-based technology functioning in a universe without the Warp suggested interesting things about dimensional physics.
"But I remember you said that there is no Warp in this universe, right?"
Raditus's optical sensors fixed on Nolan with focus that suggested genuine concern.
"So where is the damage taken by the void shield transferred to?"
The question was entirely reasonable. If the shields were dumping damage somewhere, they needed to know where. Unintended consequences could range from environmental contamination to accidentally opening portals to hostile dimensions.
Nolan fell into deep thought temporarily, considering the implications.
His enhanced mind worked through the physics. Void shields required dimensional space to function, somewhere to redirect incoming energy. The Marvel universe clearly had such spaces, given the prevalence of magic and dimensional travel.
Then he raised his head and said to Raditus with confidence:
"Raditus, I know what you are worried about. The nature of the Warp is essentially the reflection of the universe itself, one body with two sides."
Philosophy mixing with physics in ways that made sense once you accepted that reality operated on rules beyond simple materialism.
"If the void shield can be used, then it proves that the local world also has a similar dimensional space."
Logical deduction. Function implied structure. The shields worked, therefore the necessary framework existed.
"However, there should be no existence similar to Chaos in that space."
Or at least, Nolan hoped not. The Marvel universe had its own horrors, but nothing quite like the Ruinous Powers.
"And there are probably so many dimensions in the local world that the little damage transferred by our void shield won't make any waves."
The Marvel universe was dimension-rich. The Dark Dimension. The Mirror Dimension. The Quantum Realm. Dozens of others referenced in various sources. Dumping redirected energy into that mess would be like adding a cup of water to an ocean.
"Ah, thank you Lord Primarch for dispelling my worries and doubts..."
Raditus's relief was audible in his mechanical voice, tension bleeding from his systems.
"I will have the automatic servo robots go to Primogenitor Isle to install the void shield as soon as possible."
The tech-priest drove his anti-gravity engine in agitated circles, rotating back and forth several times in mid-air. Enthusiasm restored, concerns addressed, ready to implement.
Then he continued speaking to Nolan without pause:
"By the way, Lord Primarch, we have also made considerable progress in the research on alien teleportation technology!"
Another major development, delivered as an afterthought. Classic Raditus.
"Although we have never figured out the principle of teleportation technology, it does not prevent us from applying the technology practically."
Reverse-engineering without understanding. The Mechanicus approach to innovation when actual comprehension proved elusive.
"Furthermore, judging from the tens of thousands of biological teleportation experiments I have conducted..."
Nolan's eyebrow raised slightly. Tens of thousands of experiments. He didn't ask what had been teleported. Probably better not to know.
"This alien technology is probably safer than the teleportation technology of the Imperium of Man!"
That was significant. Imperial teleportation was notoriously dangerous, prone to materialization errors that left passengers fused with walls or scattered across kilometers.
"Even if transmission fails due to various factors, there is no biological integration with coordinate locations."
No fusion errors. No bodies merged with bulkheads. Just clean failure states. That alone made the technology valuable.
At this moment, Nolan blinked his eyes, processing information.
He pondered for a moment and said softly but seriously:
"My requirements for teleportation technology are very simple. Ensure safety while being more cautious."
No compromises on this point. Teleportation errors killed, and he couldn't afford to lose personnel to transportation accidents.
"Because my idea is to use teleportation technology to connect the bases in Latveria and Japan, to facilitate rapid mobilization of forces."
Strategic advantage. Instant deployment anywhere in the network. Force multiplication through positioning.
"In the future, more local bases will join the network as we expand operations."
Long-term planning. Building infrastructure for an organization that would eventually span continents.
"So, once this alien technology becomes an indispensable and convenient means of transportation for us, then we need 100% control."
Nolan's voice hardened with absolute conviction.
"I don't want to wait until I face this unknown alien civilization to have someone randomly strangle the lifeblood of our entire base network by controlling the teleportation system."
Dependency created vulnerability. If they relied on technology they didn't truly understand, couldn't reproduce independently, then whoever created it held leverage.
Nolan's serious words made Raditus's yellowed skull hover motionless in the air.
The tech-priest processed the concern, optical sensors dimming slightly as he considered implications. His eyes flashed red with understanding.
He said helpfully, tone shifting to something approaching contrition:
"Understood, Lord Primarch. I will continue to study with Doom until we achieve complete comprehension and independent production capability."
Then Raditus added something interesting.
"To be honest, I have full confidence in Doom. If he had grown up in the Mechanicus organization in the past, the distance before that mechanical boy became a great sage wouldn't be that far away..."
High praise from a tech-priest. Great Sages were the pinnacle of Mechanicus hierarchy, masters of lost arts, keepers of sacred knowledge.
"Perhaps Doom, who is more interested in alien technology than standard STC designs, can bring us some different surprises in understanding this system."
Victor von Doom, genius sorcerer-engineer, apparently had talents that transcended either discipline alone.
"Oh, one last thing."
Raditus shifted topics again, enthusiasm building toward whatever he'd been building up to reveal.
"We are currently studying other equipment based on the characteristics of Antarctic vibranium, such as electro-fiber bundles made of Antarctic vibranium for enhanced power armor performance."
Nolan nodded. He'd authorized that research personally, recognizing the material's potential.
"Unfortunately, the progress is indeed slow."
Which made sense. Antarctic vibranium's properties were exotic even by Warhammer 40K standards, requiring entirely new theoretical frameworks.
"And I also accidentally learned from the internet that there is another kind of vibranium in the native world!"
Raditus's tone shifted to barely-contained excitement.
"Original vibranium, they call it. It is said that this type of vibranium can stop molecular vibration at will, that is, it can absorb kinetic energy and is essentially indestructible."
Wakandan vibranium. Captain America's shield material. The substance that made the African nation the most technologically advanced on Earth.
"My Lord Primarch, please imagine this scenario..."
Raditus was building to something, voice taking on the cadence of a salesman making a pitch.
"If you could have a set of speed-type power armor made of original vibranium as the base material, plus electro-fiber bundles of Antarctic vibranium, which brings far more power and explosive force than before..."
The vision was compelling. Vibranium's kinetic absorption would make the armor nearly invulnerable. Antarctic vibranium muscle bundles would multiply strength output dramatically.
"This is not only befitting of your noble status as a Primarch, but also allows you to gain more powerful combat capabilities!"
The flattery was laid on thick, but the underlying logic was sound.
Hearing the tempting words of Raditus, Nolan narrowed his eyes.
He glanced at the hovering servo-skull with knowing amusement. The tech-priest thought he was being subtle. He wasn't.
Nolan said bluntly:
"Raditus, if you want a sample of original vibranium for research purposes, just say it directly. No need to beat around the bush with elaborate justifications."
The tech-priest's optical sensors flickered, caught in his transparent manipulation.
"As far as I know, the country with the largest amount of original vibranium is Wakanda on the African continent."
Nolan's tone became thoughtful, strategic.
"Although I don't want to provoke them for the time being..."
Wakanda was isolationist, technologically superior, and protective of their resources. Starting conflict with them would be counterproductive.
"There are also many accidentally leaked vibranium items around the world from past incidents. I will let David collect them for you through Imperial Heavy Industries' network."
Salvaged vibranium from crashed Wakandan vessels. Stolen samples from various heists. Material sold on black markets. Enough existed outside Wakanda's control to provide research samples.
"As for how many samples we can acquire, that remains to be seen."
Setting realistic expectations. They'd get what they could get.
At this moment, Raditus, who had obtained Nolan's permission, reacted with undisguised glee.
He hurriedly drove his anti-gravity engine up and down in rapid oscillations, bobbing like a hyperactive child. The red light in his eye sockets kept flashing in patterns that suggested pure joy.
He shouted excitedly, volume controls abandoned:
"Thank you, the extremely generous Primarch! In this way, my desire to fight for the team is even more determined and vigorous!"
Then, because Raditus could never help himself, he launched into religious declarations:
"Ohm Messiah! For the Emperor! And for Nolan!"
The invocation mixed Mechanicus, Imperial, and personal loyalty in ways that probably qualified as minor heresy.
Nolan's response was immediate and sharp.
"Shut up! Work hard!"
The command was delivered with exasperated fondness. Raditus was enthusiastic, brilliant, occasionally infuriating, and absolutely invaluable.
The tech-priest's laughter echoed through the foundry hall as he spun away, already planning experiments with materials he didn't yet possess.
And Nolan, shaking his head with a slight smile, turned to finally handle the administrative work that awaited him.
The Twin Islands base was growing stronger with each passing day.