Editing Adeptus Mechanicus (section)

===Mechanicum Understanding of Science===
There's the common misconception that the AdMech don't really understand science and approach all tech with ritual and superstition. That's arguably wrong. First thing first, both Mechanicus and AdMechs are very much alike to a medieval guild: superiors wouldn't teach their pupils but the bare minimum needed to do their job. For example, a young Tech-priest would know that if the light isn't turning green, he should (akin to a ritual) switch that circuit breaker and press that button, but they wouldn't know what it ''actually'' does. It doesn't mean that they don't learn real science while progressing through the ranks. This is probably a security measure to prevent dumbfucks from messing with dangerous shit.

In the "Mechanicum" novel they demonstrate theoretical knowledge of physics. Yes, it's set in the 31st millennium, but it's quite clear that even in the 41st they know "normal" sciences like mechanics, thermodynamics, biology, optics, quantum physics, etc. The AdMech definitely has as much scientific knowledge as we have today, and probably more. And they are quite happy to play with it. What they don't really understand, and don't like to play with (unless absolutely forced to), is the hyper-advanced tech from the Dark Age of Technology. Basically, if it isn't so advanced that it's literal techno-sorcery, then they don't mind messing with it. Which is why we get goodies like Power Armor and Terminator Armor from back before such things started to decline; even volkite weaponry before that went out of style. But, they're not going to meddle with ridiculously advanced technology because they might create an abomination like something from the Long Night. In fact, it's entirely possible that's how horrifying techno monstrosities like those in the Age of Strife came into existence. Quite likely as humans are a reactionary species that usually does stuff without thinking it through. The outright terror that the Mechanicus has for meddling with high technology comes off as more desperate than offended. Like trying to stop someone from triggering an apocalypse. This implies they learned the hard and painful way not to do that.

Take the Lasgun for example. There are almost infinite patterns of lasguns, many developed ''after'' the great crusade as the lasgun wasn't all that common back then. The AdMech understand materials and mechanics well enough to create different stocks and triggers. They understand optics to a decent degree as they can focus the las beam with different barrel lengths. What they don't understand is the power pack, because the power pack is a scary super advanced piece of technology that will not only hold enough energy for a hundred shots powerful enough to kill an armored man, but it can be easily recharged thousands upon thousands of times. And they don't have the slightest clue as to how it works. Which sounds silly until you learn just how much freaking energy is needed to basically explode someone with a laser and that the power pack recharged using, among other sources, the background radiation of the universe. Such problems do not occur with more primitive technology: in the Calixis sector many stub cannons and autopistols are constructed from scratch by Techpriests during meditations.

There's a quite good reason to that. The ultra advanced science used in the Dark Age of Technology was developed with the aid of AIs and super advanced computers. It's entirely possible that even the scientists of that time didn't fully understand their science and a lot of r&d was done automatically by artificial intelligences far superior to that of any human's, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9OHn5ZF4Uo&t with programing so complex no human actually knew how the damn thing was thinking]. Now you can't do this anymore because you know that AIs will try to kill you. In the "Mechanicum" novel the Dragon Caretaker says that the Emperor engineered the creation of the Mechanicum. Why would the ''atheist'' Emperor create a machine cult if not because it was the only way to retain technology that humanity would have no possibility to comprehend anymore once the AIs were wiped out.

This is interesting because it's said that the Emperor defeated the [[Void Dragon|Dragon]] during the late Roman Empire, for this purpose. This means that he foresaw the rebellion of the machines and the long night and allowed it as a means to develop a technology that could then be salvaged after. Or he just realized that a monster capable of controlling machines locked a stone's throw from Earth was really, really bad and decided to hedge his bets. If no AI rebellion, hyper-advanced cult of scientists dedicated to humanity. If AI rebellion, salvation for mankind. Either way, Man wins.

Then the Horus Heresy fucked up everything. And yes, the cult mentality of AdMech were involved probably more than they should have been. But the real reason that they don't go around innovating and creating new stuff is because it doesn't pay off. The real "power" of their technology comes from the Dark Age of Technology stuff and they are not able to touch that.

And this is not all. The lack of AIs and uber computational power hinders understanding advanced science to a point. it also absolutely wrecks your ability to produce practical applications of said advanced science. Let me make an example. You are fifty years in the future and fusion energy is an everyday reality from fusion power plants. ITER worked after all. You are transported on to a desert island and you have all the scientific knowledge of humanity in your brain. You are asked to build a practical fusion based power source. You can use any tool and component but you don't have access to computers. Can you do it?

Nah. You can understand perfectly how the thing should work and how to design one. But without computers you don't have the ability of run the extremely complex calculations and simulations to optimize the reactor to the point that it produces more energy than it consumes. So they hand you a blueprint of a currently working reactor. Can you build it now? Sure. You have a blueprint and the theoretical knowledge to understand what you are doing, so you build the damn thing.

Then they ask you if you can build another but slightly different. Bigger? Smaller? More powerful? Less powerful? Doesn't matter. Can you do that?

Well... maybe? You have the blueprints of a working design and you have the theoretical understanding on how it works, so you can try to modify it. But you still don't have the computational power to validate your modifications so... you can try? Best case scenario, it works. Worst case scenario? You nuke the whole fucking island. On the average? It will kinda work but it will be less efficient/polished/optimized compared to the original design.

So you don't really like to modify the original (standard) template (construct), unless you are '''really''' forced to. That's the mechanicum mindset. People who think they're better than this almost always become examples demonstrating that the Mechanicum and later Mechanicus have the right idea.

It's even worse than that. STC technology is basically lego-tech. To be able to achieve the interchangeability and keep that all the way from sharp rocks to sun-snuffers would make the Necrons scratch their heads in confusion. And everything in the Imperium relies on technology being compatible.

The main proof of higher echelons of AdMechs actually knowing what they are doing is the existence of Tech-heresy. Apart from AI and other Dark Age of Technology forbidden stuff, pretty much anything NOT supported by the STC falls into this category (like [[Space Wolves]] Techpriests mounting Lascannons inside Predator turret). In many FFG books, for example, it's implied quite a number of Magi actually invented something and then went through a long and hazardous process of proving that it totally was in the STCs all this time and they just happened to stumble upon it. Most likely it comes down to inventing things capable of interfacing with STC-based technology. Since if your invention cannot do so, then it requires special care all on its own, special construction, and its parts will not be interchangeable with anything and therefore it will be almost useless on the scale the Imperium needs stuff for. The STC tech is lego-tech up to eleven and to achieve something like that is incredibly advanced.

The concern about experimentation is probably why they’re wary of merely slapping new guns on existing tanks. Sure, it’s harmless and not something that’ll go wrong, but they prefer not to set a precedent for modification.

The absolute worst-case possibility is, of course, that the AdMech hoards STCs because it doesn’t largely have a scientific understanding of anything more advanced than the tech produced on Hive Worlds and Civilized Worlds. The terrible possibility exists that knowledge is being lost because it was not known in the first place and all that was possessed was instructions on building things. Of course that doesn't explain why they can't just watch something being made they lost the instructions for and write it down. And what's happening in the factories that build the parts to build the factories for the lost knowledge tech and watch the builders build new factories of those things and so on.