Essay: The Adeptus Mechanicus

1.0 Overview of Adeptus Mechanicus origins and history[/b][/color]

1.1 Age of Strife[/b]
In the Age of Strife, the galactic civilisation of the humans was divided by an increasing amount of warp storms that made travel and communication nearly impossible. The isolation affected the many human colonies in different ways. Many were more or less annihilated by alien attacks. Some descended into barbarism, others developed unique technologies and cultures. Some all but forgot their ties with the rest of humanity, others made prophecies of a day when a powerful leader would unite them all. In the Sol system, Earth itself was torn apart by civil war. It was in these dark times that the Cult Mechanicus was born.

On Mars, extremely dangerous computer viruses created by the Iron Men programs were unleashed on the beautiful proto-hiveworld, resulting in utter pandemonium. In less than a hundred days, worldwide communication grids collapsed, industry, agriculture and terraforming processes stopped. Before long, the worldwide sabotage of computers caused terrible disasters such as water shortage, black-outs or even catastrophic power plant meltdowns. As the agri-culture industry was totally dependent on computer management, food shortages spread across the over-populated world that was already on its knees because of the increasing warp storms and the lack of food import. Civil war broke out as the population started fighting for the remaining food and drinking water, and as billions died from hunger, billions more died in the fight for food.

The landscape of Mars transformed from brilliant hives surrounded with lush agri-domes to lifeless necropolises surrounded by burning wastelands. Vast amounts of knowledge was lost as data-banks were corrupted and destroyed by the viruses, and as the Martians themselves deleted great amounst of data in the vain attempt of isolating and combating the virus.

In these ashes of the once glorious Martian civilisation, a power known as the Cult Mechanicus rose to the surface. The Cult Mechanicus was originally conceived by a group of scientists who looked at their world, their life's work, saw only destruction and despair, and were in desperate need of meaning. Together, their philosophies lay the foundation of the religion that would develop into the Cult Mechanicus. Central to this religion is the concept of the Machine God, the very source and power of human intellect, who guides the humans towards perfection. The surviving scientists looked upon the devastation of Mars and concluded that this was what happens when technology is disconnected from the guidance of the Machine God. Thus, only a unity between the human prophets of the Machine God and the perfect machine creations could hold the key to victory. Without machines, men are nothing, they claimed, but without men, even machines are nothing.

From its humble beginning as a group of scientists, the Cult Mechanicus managed to create a life for themselves in the wasteland of Mars. As the founding scientists died, their disciples carried on their work and recruited more people to their cause. With their special expertise, the members of the Cult Mechanicus were able create a self-sustained community. But Mars was not yet safe enough to allow their expansion. Hundreds of millions were still alive in the remains of the hiveworld, and starving. For centuries, the Cult Mechanicus stayed in hiding, waiting for the rest of the world to die so that they could begin the recolonisation of Mars.

In time, enough had died so that the Cult Mechanicus could come out, explore the world and expand. Others had also been able to survive through restoring agri-domes and finding new sources for drinking water, but the Cult Mechanicus was strong and destroyed those who would not join their quest.

In time, the Cult Mechanicus had conquered Mars and turned it into the first hiveworld in history of mankind. Built on the ruins of the old civilisations, the hives of Mars grew taller and taller for each passing year, while its catacombs, mines and laboratories grew deeper into the ground. Eventually, the Cult Mechanicus built starships to search the galaxy for more technology, more sacred knowledge, and more habitable worlds that could be modelled after Mars to serve the Machine God. The Tech Priests studied earth for years, and found that the once glorious planet had fallen into global war and barbarism. After many millennia of war, industry had collapsed, billions had starved and technology had been lost. The tech priest turned their attention to the stars.

After observing the warp storms ravaging the galaxy for many years, the Tech Priests found that the warp storms would occassionally calm down enough to permit warp travel. Colonisation fleets were built and lay in waiting on the edges of the Sol system for decades or more, untill an opportunity arose. Over the millennia, many colonisation fleets were sent deep into the unknown galaxy, carrying everything they needed to colonise new worlds or bring existing worlds into submission and shaping them after the image of Mars. Some were never heard from again, some were able to transmit scrambled messages back to Mars, but most were only heard from again in the Great Crusade.

1.2 Age of the Imperium
The Age of the Imperium begins with the end of the galactic warp storms. For millennia, these warp storms had isolated humans across the galaxy, but with the Fall of the Eldar, these warp storms ended with one huge cataclysm, and a single massive warp storm of unbelievable destructive power that destroyed many worlds across the galaxy, and the entire Eldar empire. In the Sol system, the Emperor had conquered Terra, and was free to unite with Mars. On the red planet, the Emperor was hailed as the Omnissiah, the Avatar of Machine God, as he brought with him a wealth of technological secrets and displayed an understanding of science that was unmatched even by the Techno-magi of Mars. Unfortunately, not all in the Cult Mechanicus acknowledged the Emperor as Omnissiah, and before long, a bloody rebellion erupted on Mars. The war was short however, as the Emperor's followers quickly slaughtered the malcontents.

With the uniting of Mars and Terra, the Emperor began the great re-conquest of the galaxy known as the Great Crusade. The Cult Mechanicus of Mars was a tremendous help to the Emperor and his Space Marine Legions, as with the end of the galactic warp storms, the hundreds of forgeworlds scattered around the galaxy were finally able to establish secure communications with Mars, spreading technical advances and discoveries, and acting as shining beacons for the Emperor's armies. When the Cult Mechanicus joined the Emperor and became part of his Imperium, one of the conditions was that Mars would retain its current position as the leader of the forgeworlds, and hence also the knight worlds. Though many within the Imperium objected to this outrageous demand, the Emperor accepted the condition, in order to maintain the peaceful relationship with the Cult Mechanicus, not to mention his own position as the worshipped Omnissiah, and to avoid a lengthy war that might shatter the dream of the Great Crusade.

In time, the Emperor saw the fruits of his decision as the forgeworlds proved an enormous help in supporting his own armies and fleets. As the Space Marines pushed further and further into the galaxy, they found forgeworlds that awaited their arrival with new warships, great armies and not least of all the powerful Titan Legions. Of course, not all forgeworlds were equally powerful when the Emperor's forces found them. With warp travel being relatively safe after the Age of Strife, alien attacks were increasingly common, and many forgeworlds had to be liberated by orks and other aliens. In time, however, these forgeworlds would also prove a great asset, as their own productive might could be added to the Great Crusade.

1.3 Horus Heresy

3.0 The structure of the Adeptus Mechanicus[/color][/size]

3.1 Hierarchy[/color]

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Magos Mechanicus (Fabricator General)
Principis Segmentum (Segmentum Supervisor)
Principis Regionalis (Regional Supervisor)
Arch Magos Ultima (High Arch Mage)
Arch Magos Primus (First Arch Mage)
Arch Magos (Arch Mage)
Magos Amplus (High Mage)
Magos (Mage)
Sacerdos Amplus (High Priest)
Sacerdos (Tech Priest)
Novum Senioris (Senior novice)
Novum (Novice)
Discipulus (Scholar, Acolyte)[/color]

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Like all other organisations of the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus has a rigid hierarchy to enforce order amongst it countless members. Whilst each title says very little about the authority and responsibilities that are given to the individual that carries it, the title shows one’s position on the path of the Omnissiah, from the ignorant student to the enlightened master. Hence, the authority of the members on top of the hierarchy often comes from respect more than power. In this regard, the Adeptus Mechanicus is a structural mix between the rigid Adeptus Administratum and the fluid Inquisition.

Similar to the hierarchies of most other Imperial organisation, the ladder of the Adeptus Mechanicus is long with many different steps. This, of course, comes from the fact that the Adeptus Mechanicus has billions of members spread all across the galaxy, and the fact that the Adeptus Mechanicus performs all internal administration without the help of the Administratum or any outside organisations.

Many outsiders include servitors in the hierarchy of the Adeptus Mechanicus, simply for the fact that the Adeptus Mechanicus relies heavily on these lowly servants and because it is not unheard of to have criminal members of the Adeptus Mechanicus degraded to servitors. The members of the Adeptus Mechanicus do not consider servitors a part of the hierarchy themselves, because their hierarchy represents the journey to enlightenment. Where the young novice and the ancient arch mage both strive for enlightenment, the servitor does not. Because servitors are not on this path of wisdom, they are excluded from the hierarchy.

Another line drawn by the members of the Adeptus Mechanicus – one that is not represented in their hierarchy- is the line between theoreticians and practitioners. An Arch Mage can be the administrator of a mighty Titan forge complex with hundred thousands of workers or the leader of a great Explorator fleet, but can also be a researcher deep below the grounds of Mars, commanding only a handful of novices and servitors. Naturally, some members of the Mechanicus give this line more importance than others.

Starting at the bottom of the hierarchy, the scholars and acolytes (Discipulus, pl. Discipuli) of the Adeptus Mechanicus are members only in faith and not body. Scholars and acolytes have not yet undergone the Rite of Initiation and have not been blessed with any augmentations. The difference between a scholar and an acolyte, is that a scholar is studying the knowledge of the Adeptus Mechanicus at a school, whilst the acolyte is learning from a senior member of the Mechanicus. A scholar can be chosen a novice through difficult exams and tests at his school, and many scholars give up before they pass their tests. Acolytes on the other hand, serve as assistants and learn through the path of the practitioner. It is up to the senior members of acolytes to determine if they have the keen intellect needed to become a tech priest, and to decide when it is time for the acolytes to advance to become novices.

When one has been chosen to become a novice, one must first go through the Rite of Initiation. In this rite, the tissue of the subject is studied by arcane machines and the subject is given the first bionic augmentation. This augmentation is implanted into the brain and allows direct communion with machines and other members with similar implants. Only when a member has completed the Rite of Initiation is the member considered a novice and allowed to carry the sacred crimson robes of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Upon becoming a novice (Novum), the member is usually assigned to a tech priest based on abilities of the member. It is up to this tech priest to educate the novice according to the path that is set before the novice, and to choose the balance between theory and practice. For example, a novice might show a special ability and fervour in subject dealing with biology. It is then up to the tech priest to prepare the novice for the Collegium Biologis or to assign the novice to someone who can. After a period of mostly theoretical studies, the young member can be given the title of senior novice. Senior novices accompany tech priests in their duties and learn about the duties and responsibilities of a tech priest. This is the last step before becoming a Tech Priest, and the final stage where a member can be rejected by the Adeptus Mechanicus. If a senior novice does not show the needed qualities to become a tech priest, he or she is usually given a position as a civil engineer or mechanic outside the Adeptus Mechanicus.

The Tech Priests (Sacerdos) are the most numerous group within the Adeptus Mechanicus, given countless different tasks. Supporting Imperial Guard regiments, operating engines on starships, administering workers in factories, educating young novices and performing important research in laboratories are just a few of the many duties carried out by Tech Priests. This is the first independent step on the path of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the first chance for a member to really make a name for him- or herself. Tech Priests can carry an array of different augmentations required for their work. The most successful and venerable Tech Priests are eventually elevated to the rank of High Priest. Though this greater responsibilities usually comes with this rank, it can also be simply a mark of talent and promise.

The rank of Magos is a great honour, and not all Tech Priests live to reach this rank. The Magi of the Adeptus Mechanicus are ancient men and women, kept alive by many bionic augmentations and replacements. They are dedicated learners who have specialised in one of the many disciplines of the Adeptus Mechanicus; from biology and chemistry to shipbuilding and communication. Upon becoming a Magos, a Tech Priest must travel to Mars to undergo the Rite of Magi, also known as the Rite of First Light. This rite is the longest and hardest of all Adeptus Mechanicus ceremonies, and there are many who go insane or die in the process. Those who do survive, are not only the most talented and successful of tech priests, but also the strongest of mind and body. They carry enormous respect, even outside the Adeptus Mechanicus.

Should a Magos choose the path of the leader, he can be given the rank of Arch Magos. The Arch Magi are the powerful elite of the Adeptus Mechanicus, with whole fleets and even forgeworlds under their control. To an outsider, the Arch Magi are usually completely unrecognisable as humans and can be a quite disturbing sight. Few retain any of their original limbs, and there are many who lack a humanoid shape whatsoever. To members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Arch Magi are sacred- the perfection of the holy bond between human mind and mechanical body. The Arch Magi have expert knowledge within several schools of the Collegia, though it is normal to specialise in a single field, but also the wisdom and courage needed to rule a forgeworld.

Standing above even the Arch Magi on the hierarchy, the Segmentum and Regional Supervisors (Principis Segmentum, Principis Regionalis) are venerable arch magi that form the inner circles of the Adeptus Mechanicus- the Symposia Consiliare*.

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have a unique position in the hierarchy in that they serve only as links between the High Altar of Knowledge and the Fabricator General on Mars and the countless servants of the Machine God. Their purpose is to control and survey the constant flow of information that enters the High Altar of Knowledge and to report to the Fabricator General. They are without doubt the humans in the Imperium possessing most knowledge, as the fragile remains of their mortal body is crafted into titanic cogitator machines which can access the entire High Altar of Knowledge at will. They learn every new discovery, they feel the pulse of the machine that is the Adeptus Mechanicus, and they are the eyes and ears of the Fabricator General.

As one of the High Lords of Terra, the Fabricator General is one of the twelve most powerful people in the galaxy, ruling the Imperium in the name of the Omnissiah. The Fabricator general spends his time in discussion with the other High Lords, interpreting the will of the Emperor and ensuring that the will of the Machine God is followed.

3.3 The Tech Guard[/b]
In the ancient pacts formed by the Emperor and the Cult Mechanicus following the Age of Strife, the Emperor granted the Cult Mechanicus the freedom to raise its own armies to defend its fleets and forgeworlds. The Martian Skitarii Tech Guard was given the task of defending the Mechanicus sovereign, including forgeworlds, knight worlds and fleets. Its highly defensive role has been set in stone after the Horus Heresy, and the Tech Guard has all but ceased to participate in Crusades and offensive campaigns. In desperate times, the Skitarii may be supported by battle servitors, knight walkers, explorators and even Titan legions to destroy nearby threats that cannot be given the chance to attack. These sort of actions happen with and without the permission of the Adeptus Terra.

Though the Tech Guard predates the Imperial Guard by millennia, the two are organised in a similar manner. A standard Tech Guard infantry regiment consists of Hypaspist squads, similar to a squad of Imperial Guardsmen, though normally better equipped and augmented with bionic implants that allow greater interaction with their weapons, scanners and communication gear. Heavy weapon support squads are called Sagitars or Sagitarii, and have a slightly higher rank than Hypaspist infantry due to their greater expertise and more advanced augmentations. The tank crews of the Skitarii tech guard are quite different from the tank crews of the Imperial Guard. They are elite warriors, venerated even by Tech Guard officers, and perhaps the most adept tank crews in the Imperium. Their education begins in childhood and after a decade of hard training, psycho-conditioning and bionic augmentations, they mount their assigned vehicles for life, giving up their humanity for unity with their machine. These tank crews are called Cataphracts or Cataphractarii, and crew most vehicles used by the Tech Guard, including tanks, speeders and walkers. The last and smallest of the units within the Tech Guard is the Ballistas or Ballisterarii. Given the task of operating artillery vehicles, the Ballista crews are highly educated in order to understand their machines, which are often experimental or highly unreliable.

3.5 The Explorators
The Explorators form the most mysterious fighting unit of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Though they have many grand armies and powerful fleets, the Explorators are almost never used in pitched battle. To the Imperium, the Explorators are naught but questing scouts, seeking new or lost knowledge. This is only part of a more sinister truth. In reality, the purpose of the Explorators is similar to that of the Imperial Inquisition. Not only concerned with seeking knowledge, the Explorators also track down and eliminate those who perform heretical research, both within and without the Adeptus Mechanicus. In addition, the Explorators are given the extremely risky task of capturing artefacts held by the enemy or even other organisations in the Imperium. In the case of the latter, stealth is obviously of utmost importance, as a failure to hide their identity can result in great conflicts with the rest of the Imperium.

The Explorators are divided into highly independent Cohorts, with each forgeworld having at least one such Cohort. The organisation of each Cohort can differ wildly from one to another, depending on origins and their intended purpose. On ancient forgeworlds with several Cohorts, one Cohort may be dedicated entirely to monitoring the forgeworld itself and will thus be bound to its home, while another Cohort may be given a fleet and travel the stars ceaselessly, with little apparent connection to its homeworld.

Following the events of the Horus Heresy, the Imperium does not allow the Explorator Cohorts to maintain enough weapons to function as an offensive unit. Their ships are allowed to carry soldiers and warmachines to protects the ships from boarding and to protect their tech priests during expeditions on alien worlds, and are also allowed some defensive armaments to keep enemy ships at a distance to secure their escape. To achieve their secret objectives, of course, the Explorators sometimes need to bring concealed, forbidden weapons. An Explorator ship that appears almost completely unarmed at first can often transform to reveal rows of hidden weapon batteries and various experimental or arcane weapons. The Explorator Cohorts have a multitude of different personnel, from tech priests and arch magi to soldiers and warrior priests, or even assassins, spies and saboteurs in disguise.

3.7 The Legio Titanica[/color]
Titans have existed since long before the days of the Imperium, in the Age of Technology. In those dark times, Titan-like machines were common and a part of the planetary defence force of many human worlds in the galaxy. After the Age of Strife however, much of the knowledge needed to maintain and build the true Titans was lost, and eventually became lost to all except the Cult Mechanicus. Of course, this was in no small part due to the fact that the Cult Mechanicus actively made sure that no one else had the technology to build Titans. In the early days of the Great Crusade, the newly founded Imperium and the Mechanicum were both in favour of banning the ancient Titan designs that didn't incorporate a machine spirit, and so the Emperor's Armies and Space Marine Legions actually helped the Cult Mechanicus in maintaining their monopoly.

The Legio Titanica is divided into four divisions; the Divisio Militaris, the Divisio Mandati, the Divisio Telepathica and the Divisio Investigatus. Of these four, all except the Divisio Investigatus maintain Titan warmachines.

The Divisio Militaris is the biggest of the divisions, and contains the majority of the Titan Legions and Demi-Legions. The Titans of the Divisio Militaris are ancient warmachines armed with conventional weaponry, such as energy weapons, ballistic weapons, missile weapons and close combat weapons. These Titans can be divided into Scout Titan, Battle Titan and Emperor Titan depending on their size and role.

The Divisio Mandati is quite similar from the Divisio Militaris. The Titan Legions of the Divisio Mandati are almost only used to enforce Pax Imperia on Imperial worlds. Consisting of only Emperor class Titans, the Legions of the Divisio Mandati are a powerful tool that can be used in conjunction with other Imperial forces to persuade Imperial servants into submissions. When persuasion fails, the firepower of the Emperor class Titans enforces the Imperial will. Some of the Legio Mandati never move beyond the boundaries of the Imperium, having a regular diocese under their peripatetic care. Others specialize in taking the word of the pax Imperia beyond the boundaries of Imperial space. These Missionary Legions, often operating in support of Rogue Traders, are the elite of the Divisio Mandati.

The Divisio Telepathica is the smallest of the Titanica divisions. Using special Titans that have psyker choirs linked with arcane psi-amplifiers, the Divisio Telepathica has a number of different uses, such as long-range psyker warfare against enemy headquarters or even disabling enemy titans for capture. With their powerful psyker-choirs, the Titans of the Divisio Telepathica are able to cause just as much destruction and confusion in the enemy lines as standard Titans, and, with the most powerful psykers, can even be used to breach fortress walls. The Divisio Telepathica are extremely careful when preparing their psyker-Titans, because of the horrifying possibility that one of the psykers be possessed by warp entities. In a best case scenario, this would kill the psyker choir and leave the Titan lifeless. If they are not so lucky, the Titan is possessed by daemons, who can channel unfathomable amounts of energy through the possessed psykers and cause utter mayhem in the Imperial lines.

The Divsio Investigatus is radically different from the other divisions, as it is dedicated to research and testing. Closely connected to the Sodalicae of the Collegia Titanica, the Divisio Investigatus is involved in designing new titans, testing new technology on the battlefield and trying to unlock the secrets of the most ancient of titans. For an Imperial commander to be blessed with the presence of the Divisio Investigatus can be a mixed pleasure. With their experimental technology, the Titans of the Divisio Investigatus can be used to surprise the enemy or to deal with special threats, such as Tyranids or Chaos. Just as often, unfortunately, these Titans will experience a handful of malfunctions that can lead to anything from slightly reduced combat efficiency to power plant meltdown and utter destruction. Still, the members of the Divisio Investigatus maintain a fierce pride in their status, and their Princeps are usually extremely talented warriors who can be expected to deal with surprises.

In the Dark Millennium, there is roughly as many Titan Legions in the Imperium as there are forgeworlds. Some forgeworlds have more than one Titan Legions, and some have none. While the largest Titan Legion, Legio Destructor, has over a hundred Titans, there are many smaller Legions, such as the Legio Ordo Sinister of the Divisio Mandati, which has only twelve. Unlike other fighting forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Titan Legions are considered so powerful that they may not be transported by Adeptus Mechanicus ships. Instead, they must be taken to battle by the Imperial Navy; a precaution that can cause great delays, but which was proved necessary following the Horus Heresy. Of course, there are those within the Inquisition and the Administratum who suspect that the Adeptus Mechanicus is in violation of those ancient laws, and secretly transport Titans onboard their so-called scout ships and research ships.

5.0 Factions, philosophies and paradigms[/b][/size]

5.1 Factions and Philosophies
The Cult Mechanicus is an ancient and vast community, spread over the entire Imperium. Reflecting this, a number of political factions are present in the Adeptus Mechanicus, dating as far back as the Age of Strife. These political factions are a result of the relative independence of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and its relation with the Imperium, and can be divided into four broad categories. A number of different philosophies have also formed over the millennia, each with its own view on the purpose of the Adeptus Mechanicus and its own approach to technology.

The philosophies of the Adeptus Mechanicus can be divided into puritan philosophies, which generally stay true to the established principles and beliefs of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and radical philosophies, which seek change and differ greatly from the current philosophies of the Cult Mechanicus. Of these, the puritan philosophies are held high by the great majority of the Tech Priests, in all corners of the Imperium.

The most widely spread puritan philosophy is the Primist philosophy. Followers of this philosophy believe that the ancient belief systems of the Adeptus Mechanicus should be adhered to. This includes those dogmatic structures that developed before the Cult Mechanicus was introduced into the nascent Imperium. The main teaching of the Primists is that technical and mechanical knowledge is the sole province of the Machine God and their physical representatives, the Tech Priests. They resist the development of all local infrastructures since this places technology in the hands of the plebs and the non-believers. At the very least, all advanced forms of technology, including xenos-tech, is the sole preserve of the Cult Mechanicus.
Similar to the Primist philosophy, the Traditionalist philosophy teaches that the knowledge gained in the past is the only true form of understanding. Supporters of this philosophy resist the incorporation of new technologies even when derived from newly acquired STC documentation, and of the further integration of the Adeptus Mechanicus into the Adeptus Terra. Paradoxically, they are also the greatest exponents to the understanding of relic technology.

A philosophy quite different from the two largest philosophies, the Traditionalist and the Primist, is the Questor philosophy. Adherents to this philosophy believe that the STC represents another embodiment of the Machine God and, as such, scour the galaxy for working copies and related information. Xenos-tech is abhorred since it sullies the concept of the STC as the omega-point of Human, and therefore universal, knowledge.

Opposing the three major puritan philosophies, are the many radical philosophies. The radical philosophies vary greatly in popularity, values and age, but of the countless different philosophies, the following four are arguably the most important, considering their growing influence across the entire Imperium.

The Reincarnist philosophy is a fairly ancient philosophy, born shortly after the Horus Heresy. A radical off-shoot of the Questor philosophy, the Reincarnists believe that the STC as an embodiment of the Machine God is capable of reincarnating the Omnissiah. Through Him the followers of philosophy will experience the omega-point of knowledge. Interestingly, some small off-shoots of the Reincarnist philosophy have been speculated to have connections with the puritan Thorian philosophy of the Inquisition.

A second, and younger philosophy, is the Visionary philosophy, a strange philosophy unusual in that it developed from the collegium genetos. It is the belief of the Visionaries that the Omnissiah meddled directly with human development in the Dark Age of Technology and the Age of Strife. Within the very building blocks of Humanity the Emperor has encoded the STC, as evidenced by the Adeptus Astarters, mirrors of the transcendent core of this knowledge of Humanity itself.
The Xenite philosophy, though having existed since the very first contact with alien species, has only earned significant influence in the recent millennia. The main teaching of this philosophy is that knowledge derives from many sources, not just human thought. As such they advocate the study of xenos-tech and the incorporation of any information derived from such study into the Holy Altar and the teachings of the Cult Mechanicus. The Xenite philosophy is often mistaken for the Xenophile philosophy, an even more radical philosophy in the Cult Mechanicus.

Xenophiles expand upon the Xenite philosophy to state that alien knowledge, and particularly that of the older races, is preferred over that of humanity. Indeed, all human knowledge is just a reflection of xenos technology. Adherents to the Xenophile philosophy are among the most despised of all radical Adeptus Mechanicus philosophies, and are viewed with equal scorn by organisations outside the Adeptus Mechanicus. Indeed, the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition keeps a close eye on Tech Priests with such affection for alien knowledge, and some of the more puritan Inquisitors have been known to actively hunt down and execute this group of Tech Priests.

Being a substantial part of the immense political machine that is the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus is itself, as a result, divided by various political factions. Though the politics of the Adeptus Mechanicus vary from one side of the Imperium to the other, four broad categories can be used to describe the majority of political factions in the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The first of these four is the Integrationist group. This is the body of thought that wishes to see greater integration between the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Imperium, including a greater sharing of the technology with the other organisations in the Imperium, and distributing technology on lower levels. Typically, the integrationists feel that the complexity and bureaucracy of the Imperium, coupled with the squabbling of power between its organisations, hinders mankind in reaching its ideal. Followers of this political opinion are usually noted as notably cooperative with all other Imperial organisations, and even go as far as demanding cooperation from them.

A second group known as the Isolationist group distance themselves from the Integrationistic stance, and advocate the maintenance of distance between the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Adeptus terra. Basically, the Isolationists feel that the Adeptus Mechanicus should function independently, and act as a powerful ally of the Imperium, rather than a part of it. With independent government, the Adeptus Mechanicus can use its wisdom and knowledge to better help the Imperium, and itself.

The third group is the group called Separationists, which wish to remove the Adeptus Mechanicus from the Adeptus Terra, and to some degree, the Imperium. Unlike the Isolationists, the Separationists often consider the Adeptus Mechanicus equal and in some ways superior to the Imperium, and claim that by cutting its bonds with the Imperium, the Cult Mechanicus can best serve humanity. The extreme Separationists even envision a new age of Man, where all of humanity is united under the Machine God, defeating all enemies with the invincible unity of Man and Machine.

Last and largest of the four political groups in the Adeptus Mechanicus, is the Conservatives. Upholding the status quo, this group believes that any change of political stance would be ultimately destructive to the goals of the Adeptus Mechanicus.