40k Lore: Of Man and Machine

The relationship between the Imperium and the Adeptus Mechanicus is a complex and unique one, so let’s take a brief look at it.

Unlike any other organization in the Imperium, the Adeptus Mechanicus is arguably independent from the greater Imperium.  While it bears the title “Adeptus” suggesting that it is one of the great governing organizations under the Adeptus Terra that make up the Imperial bureaucracy, it would more accurately be described as at most an Imperial protectorate, and more likely as a sovereign state within the Imperium, or even as a strongly allied or federated state.

This fact is best exemplified in the division of faith which exists between the Imperium proper and the Mechanicus.  The Mechanicus are utterly unique in that they are an entire organization with the Imperium which openly practices a completely different faith from the Imperial Creed.  Granted, some might argue that the Adeptus Astartes also do this, but as a general rule they still recognize the authority of the Ministorium in Imperial faith and the position of the Emperor as the spiritual head of the Imperium and Humanity as a species, they simply differ on some of the finer points of interpretation and practice.  The faith of the Omnissiah by contrast does not even pay lip service to the Imperial Creed, and barely goes so far as to acknowledge the Omnissiah as an aspect of the Emperor in his incarnation as master of science and technology, it is far more concerned with the obsessive pursuit and compilation of knowledge.  The irony of course being that, although they do not know it, their entire faith was a Machiavellian creation of the Emperor, and theirs is the only faith in him that he supported in life.

Now at first glance this does not seem very significant, but we must consider that while the church and state in the Imperium are not truly a unified entity (the Administratum and Ministorum are very separate entities and do not always get along very well), they are inextricably intertwined.  The Imperium recognizes only one official religion, and that is the Imperial Creed as preached by the Ministorum, and the indisputably (if symbolic) head of state and head of government is also the deity-in-flesh and therefore head of the faith, it is not for nothing that he is called the God-Emperor.  The fact that the Mechanicus does not recognized the authority of this creed speaks volumes on its independence and separation from the rest of the Imperium.

More telling even than this is the fact that the Mechanicus is the only body other than the Astartes that is exempt from paying the Imperial Tithe.  Given that the largest and most powerful organization if the Imperium is essentially the IRS (on steroids), the fact that the Mechanicus doesn’t have to pay taxes pretty clearly sets it apart from the rest of the Imperium.  The technical explanation for this is that the supply of material and technical expertise provided by the Mechanicus Forge Worlds takes the place of the tithe, but many other Imperial worlds are expected to supply both Tithe and production, and regardless of this the Administratum tracks all relevant biographical data on Imperial worlds, but has no authority to do so for Forge Worlds.  In fact, from what we have seen Imperial presence on a Forge World (including official governmental offices and representatives) is at best that of politely tolerated outsiders, and at worst not permitted at all.

Finally, the Mechanicus is permitted to maintain its own fleets and armed forces, over which the Adeptus Terra has no authority.  The other Adeptus must petition for the deployment of the Titan Legions, and their attendant Skittari, while only the Mechinicus itself even knows where the Explorator Fleets are at any given point.  In short, the Mechanicus is quite capable of perpetrating entire military campaigns on its own (and has done so on many occasions), something that every other branch of the Imperium is both unable and expressly forbidden from doing.

All of this combines to paint a picture of an autonomous political and military organization that acts according to its own goals.  The Mechanicus has also consistently shown itself to be willing and able to exercise these capabilities, actively defying and even outright flaunting the authority of the High Lords and the Inquisition on several occasions (such as in the face of Hive Fleet Leviathan’s advance) without any serious censure afterwards, something that no other organization, not the Ministorum, nor Inquisition, or even the Astartes can do.

This curious degree of independence most likely has its roots in the very foundation of the Imperium itself.  When the Great Crusade first left Terra among the first Humans that they encountered were the Tech Lords of Mars, already a powerful united organization based upon technology lost to everyone else.  What’s more, it was an organization that already saw its own manifest destiny among the stars, not only did they hunger for the lost knowledge they felt sure must exist outside the Solar System, but Mars had already been the head of its own Empire of like-minded worlds (many of which were, or were to become the oldest of the Forge Worlds) during the Dark Age of Technology before galactic communication broke down during the Age of Strife.  So when Martian and Terran first met, though as overawed as any by the Emperor (though his own carful centuries long intention), their meeting was more one of equals than master and vassal.  Indeed, in the early years the union of Terra and Mars was referred to openly as a alliance of mutual benefit, with Terra only very slightly in ascendance, and was codified as such.  Though the original understanding of this has long passed from memory on Terra, Mars has long memory, and has never truly lost the view of itself as an equal partner to Terra in Mankind’s rule of the galaxy.

References:
40k Rulebook
Codex: Tyranids
Dark Heresy
Mechanicum
Titanicus

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Author: Just_Me

Just Me has been a Warhammer 40K Lore and background enthusiast for over a decade. He began covering the rich universe of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40K for BoLS in 2010.