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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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While the Adeptus Mechanicus is a part of the Imperium, it has developed separately and enjoys a considerable degree of independence. Due to the great amount of power it wields, the Adeptus Mechanicus could almost be said to be like an allied empire, rather than an organisation within the Imperium. The Adeptus Mechanicus also follows a different religion from the rest of the Imperium. The religion and religious structure of the Adeptus Mechanicus is known as the [[Cult Mechanicus]]. The symbol of the Adeptus Mechanicus is a skull, half-bone and half-machine, set against the background of a black and white cog.{{Fn|1}}
[[Adept]]s of the Adeptus Mechanicus are known as techTech-priests. Any member of the Cult Mechanicus over the rank of menial will often be referred to as a techTech-priest, though Magi and higher ranks are usually referred to by rank. As befits the religious nature of the Mechanicus, techTech-priests usually wear robes, which are usually either rust-red or white. Tech-priests are often [[Imperial bionics|cybernetically augmented]]. The level of a techpriestTech-priest's augmentation is highly dependent on his rank within the [[Cult Mechanicus]]; a novice may have only one or two augmented systems, if any, while very senior members may have only a few biological organs left in their bodies.{{Fn|1}}
Members of the Mechanicum are often fast-grown in vats, infused with a an instinctual level of knowledge due to data uplinks during their gestation. They are then born already post-adolescence and are promptly put to work.{{Fn|24}} Members can also come from [[Imperials]], such as those who have been converted by the [[Sect Missionarius Mechanicus]]{{Fn|41c}} and even the [[Squat]] [[Abhuman]] subspecies.{{Fn|42}}
Many of the ignorant masses of Imperial citizenry simply refer to any member of the Adeptus Mechanicus as "Martians", even though most aren't from Mars. The empire of Mars is as diverse as the Imperium, and many of their Forge Worlds are powers in their own right. Some among the various Forge Temples might find the terminology offensively reductionistic.{{Fn|49b}}
After the Emperor formed the [[Imperium]], he engendered support with the Martian Mechanicum, an already existing empire. On Mars, he was commonly seen as the [[Omnissiah]], the earthly representative of the Machine God, due to his ability to seemingly instantly repair machinery with a mere touch. After landing in a golden ship on Mars' surface The Emperor came before the [[Mechanicum Parliament]] on Mars, pledging that in return for supplying arms to his armies and building a mighty war fleet, the Emperor would protect and the respect the sovereignty of the Mechanicum's [[Forge World]]s. In addition, he would donate six [[Navigator]] Houses to Mars, whose supply of Navigators had since dwindled. Given such incentives the [[Martian Parliament]] and [[Fabricator-General]] agreed to the terms, and the formal alliance between the Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperium was signed on [[Terra]] between the Martian Ambassador and the Emperor.{{Fn|6}}
The Treaty was not celebrated by all of the Tech-Priest elements on Mars. Many Tech-Priests saw the Emperor as a warlord seeking to subordinate the Mechanicum and limit their technological research. Among these was [[Kelbor-Hal]].{{Fn|4a}}
===Horus Heresy===
Horus was able to convince the [[Fabricator-General]] himself, [[Kelbor-Hal]], to join forces with him on the condition that the autonomy of the Mechanicum be ensured, and that the STCs the [[Sons of Horus]] had captured from the recently subjugated but technologically advanced [[Auretian Technocracy]] be handed over to him. Kelbor-Hal's deputy, the [[Fabricator Locum]] [[Kane]], remained loyal to the Emperor however, which initiated a civil war on the Red Planet known as the [[Schism of Mars]] that mirrored the larger conflict raging across the galaxy.{{Fn|4a}}
The Mechanicum considered the division of the Mechanicum with Hal and Kane both claiming the title of Fabricator General an unresolved equation, known as the "binary succession". In an attempt to To resolve this, Ambassador [[Vethorel]], Fabricator General Kane's representative on the [[Council of Terra]], proposed to resolve this by the creation of a new Adeptus, the '''Adeptus Mechanicus'''. Despite the Mechanicum's concerns for their independence and the council's fears of a Martian power-grab, the resolution passed after the [[Collegia Titanica]] threatened to abandon the [[Solar War]] and the [[Imperator Titan]] ''Magnificum Incendius'' of the [[Legio Ignatum]] marched on the [[Great Chamber of the Senatorum Imperialis]].{{fn|9}}
The Mechanicum units that fought against the Emperor would come to be known in later times as the [[Dark Mechanicum]].{{Cite This}}
*{{Main|Cult Mechanicus}}
[[Image:Techpriests.jpg|thumb|right|150px|'''TechpriestsTech-priests''' performing their rituals{{Fn|39}}]]Although the Emperor is venerated by the Adeptus Mechanicus for his ancient knowledge and comprehension, the techpriests Tech-priests do not follow the [[Imperial Cult]], but a wholly different religion, known as the Cult Mechanicus or the Cult of the Machine.{{Fn|1}}
The Cult Mechanicus originated during the Age of Strife. According to its teachings, knowledge is the supreme manifestation of divinity, and all creatures and artefacts that embody knowledge are holy because of it. Machines that preserve knowledge from ancient times are also holy, and machine intelligences are no less divine than those of flesh and blood. A man's worth is only the sum of his knowledge - his body is simply an organic machine capable of preserving intellect. In the Cult's tenets, life itself is of no intrinsic value. One of the most obvious examples of this belief is the techpriestsTech-priests' use of humans as raw material in the creation of the machine-slaves known as servitors.{{Fn|3}}
To the Cult Mechanicus, machines represent a higher form of life than that created through biological evolution. The ultimate object of the cult's veneration is known as the Machine God (or the ''Deus Mechanicus''), which is believed to have given rise to all technologies and made them manifest through his chosen illuminati among mankind. The Machine God may be the [[C'tan]] [[Mag'ladroth|Void Dragon]], who may be the [[Dragon of Mars]] that has been entombed on Mars for millennia and was worshipped by the Cult Mechanicus before the rise of the Emperor.{{Fn|1}}
*{{Main|Basilikon Astra}}
Because the '''Quest for Knowledge''' can involve long, ardurous arduous forays into unexplored space; the Adeptus Mechanicus have at their disposal a large fleet of starships. It is important that these vessels be heavily armed and armoured, not only for their own protection from those who covet their technology but to engage in combat when necessary to secure vital data or artefacts that may prove cruical crucial to the Quest. Though the total number of ships the Adeptus Mechanicus has at its disposal dispersed among its many forge worlds is far outnumbered by that of the Imperial Navy, it goes without saying that those responsible for all starship construction reserve for themselves among the most powerful and best-equipped warships encountered anywhere in the Imperium.{{citethis}}
Mechanicus fleets have access to the same types of vessel vessels as the [[Imperial Fleet]], as well as other unique vessels such as the near-legendary [[Ark Mechanicus]].{{Fn|5}}
==Military Organization==
