AN: I have only a minimal experience with 40k lore but I know enough to not be a complete idiot lmao

"The concept of divine beings is laughable. It is the blind fools of primitive societies who want an easy solution and warm lies rather than embracing the cold truth of science and innovation so that they could advance up the galactic pecking order." - Madaline Siu, On The Psychology of Alien Life

Craftworld Asheria, 11:22 am local time

Farseer Elathala was having a horrible existence. For the last five days, she had pounding headaches nearly nonstop as if something massive was moving through the warp itself. Her fellow Seers also reported similar headaches but not at the intensity that Elathala was experiencing. She had tried numerous times over said five days to consult her runes, but each time a pounding headache would force her out of her concentration. It was now the sixth cycle of this torture and Elathala was lying in her bed, weeping to herself and wondering if this would ever end.

As if it were some type of divine joke, no sooner than she thought about the torture ending the pain suddenly stopped. Seeing this as an opportunity to finally understand what was happening over the past five cycles, she rushed to a chamber before another headache occurred, not paying attention to the looks the other Aeldari were giving her.

Let them endure five days with barely any sleep, she thought as she neared the chambers.

As she entered a chamber, Elathala took deep breaths to calm herself before she sat cross-legged on the floor and cast her runes, like she did uncountable times in the past. The runes floated and orbited around her as she calmed her thoughts, guiding her towards her answer. Focusing her energy, she managed to pierce the fog and gaze into a potential future.

A figure in black armour and red stripes stood with its back faced towards Elathala, unmoving. It was tall and had both hands placed on a large and long rifle, its cape hanging off its back, unmoving. A long sword was attached to its left hip, a pistol on its right. Elathala knew it was a Mon'keigh, yet it was not a space marine, for its armour was... sleeker, smoother and more advanced. The figure, seemingly noticing her presence, turned to face her. Its face was obscured as it extended its left hand towards her in an act of friendship.

With a start and an uncharacteristic yelp, she returned to her corporeal form within the chamber. She tried to process her vision as best she could. The most immediate thing she could recognize herself. The Mon'keigh on the other hand, she was confused about. From her experience with the simple-minded race, she assumed that it was a male. It was as tall as their genetically modified space marines, but it was nowhere near as broad. On top of that, given its gesture, it appeared to consider her as an ally and even a friend when it was widely known that the Mon'keigh despised Xenos of all forms.

She then noticed how utterly tired she was. As she left the chamber to return to her dwelling, she collided with another farseer. Apologizing profusely, she managed to stumble back to her dwelling before collapsing on her bed, falling asleep before her head touched the pillow. She had to be well rested for an important artifact was discovered in the Mon'keigh's presence and needed to be retrieved.

Five days later

Elathana leaned against the wall of the metallic labyrinth, singing spear in her left hand, shuriken pistol in her right, breath heavy as las-bolts flew past her head and body. She shredded twelve Mon'keigh soldiers with her shuriken pistol as she grimaced behind her ghosthelm. There was much more resistance than anticipated, leading to the loss of her squad, which numbered five, including herself. No matter, for despite her enemies' numbers her psychic might allowed her to prevail so far. To prove that point, Elathana sent a psychic shockwave towards a group of five soldiers, slamming the poor fools against the walls.

It was supposed to be a simple assignment, they were to retrieve an artifact that the Mon'keigh had in their possession. As las-fire flew in ever-increasing frequency, Elathana now knew that a simple assignment didn't mean an easy assignment. As she ran through the complex, she searched every room and opened every container for the blasted artifact but had no luck. A Mon'keigh rushed her with a knife to which she punched the poor fool in the face, shattering his face and neck. She proceeded further into the complex, cutting down all who stood in her way and caring not for those she killed, no mercy for the soldiers that charged at her in a vain attempt to bring her down. Although she was handling the Mon'keigh well, even Elathana had her limits and the fact that she hadn't found the blasted artifact yet was frustrating her to no end.

Cursing, Elathana continued to search the Mon'keigh complex, throughout its maze of hallways and all of its rooms, big and small as she heard voices that were more determined, ones of cold, calculating figures far from the fanatical zealots that she was currently fighting. Reinforcements had arrived, and heavily armoured soldiers with advanced weaponry descended on the base, the red glare of their lenses pierced the darkness with the sole goal of killing her. As soon as she saw the first red light appear in the distance, Elathana fired her shuriken pistol at her foe, shredding the shock trooper.

More voices of alarm and rage sounded in the direction the trooper came from, so Elathana ran in the other direction, continuing her search. More shock troopers tried to stop her, and more were struck down, but even she could not escape the law of total probability. A high-calibre lasgun shot struck her side, and a lucky blast of a shotgun destroyed her ghost helm, which she discarded. Just in case she wouldn't survive this endeavour, Elathana broadcasted a psychic message to her craftworld detailing her mission and her situation. With that, she fled further deeper into the complex, the Imperium's shock troopers hot on her tail. In her desperation, she never realized that her message would heard by a third party first, one who was not from her universe.

Information Data Logs

Imperial Science Department: The Imperial Science Department is the primary research and development portion of the Technocracy, involving every single branch of science from physics and statecraft to void craft engineering and biology. It is considered to be the second most honourable position one can obtain within the Technocracy behind joining the armed forces. Based out of the tidally locked world of Xin Wuhan and led by the Chief Research Overseer, the Imperial Science Department is granted an entire sector dedicated purely to scientific research between the three major branches of the sciences. The best and brightest men and women of all species work tirelessly to further the scientific understanding of the Technocracy and said researchers send knowledge to their home empires which in turn advances their technology levels as well. While it is undisputed that the Imperial Science Division is the most efficient in the known galaxy, its complete and utter disregard for ethics and morals is the most targeted topic for critics, when asked, members simply reply; "The machine of innovation and progress must be refuelled time and time again with the blood of the ignorant and cowards."

Imperial Science Department, Physics Division: The physics division of the ISD is responsible for the development of energy-based weaponry like the deadly plasma cannons mounted on corvettes and some tanks, shielding used by every combat vehicle, subspace travel and detection, AI, encryption and hacking, point defence and energy production. They are also involved in the development of devastating superweapons like the neutron sweeper, which the technocracy has used multiple times during war when the planet and flora were of utmost importance while the population was not. Despite being the least popular branch of the ISD, it still contains sizable numbers, around 10,000 researchers, including part-time workers.

Imperial Science Department, Engineering Division: The engineering division of the ISD is responsible for the development of industrial applications including sentient synthetic AI individuals, mining and construction efforts, material applications like armour, civilian and alloy productions, and exotic material harvesting, propulsion technology including thrusters, afterburners, flak turrets, and the Technocracy's infamous missiles, torpedoes, railgun and cannon technology, warship and fighter craft development and manufacturing, and nanites, the figural and literal backbone of the Technocracy. They also were solely responsible for the most powerful warship in the galaxy, the Colossus-class world destroyer and its infamous World Cracker, which was used too liberally by the Imperator against a rival empire after his wife was assassinated by said empire. By the time the war was thoroughly won and common sense returned to the Imperator, he was immensely remorseful and immediately ordered the World Cracker to be uninstalled and replaced with the Neutron Sweeper. It is also the second most popular branch, boasting around 17,000 members.

Imperial Science Department, Biology Division: The biology division of the ISD is responsible for general biology work like food production, life extension and genetic modification, military theory like support for the various fleets and the armed forces of the Punitive Corps, colony development including changing colonists to suit planetary environments and terraformation, the art of statecraft including administration, the honouring of alien cultures, alien relations and trade, the study of archeological technology (though by this point are inferior to our technology) and more recently, the study of psionic theory and psionic beings. The biology branch of the ISD is the most popular branch by far, boasting 22,000 members and where the majority of the Technocracy's field researchers originate.