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Machine spirit

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A machine spirit is what some refer to as a vehicle's automatic systems. The advanced system consists of a combination of organic and mechanical components within the vehicle, and is able to logically control the vehicle's movement and fire its weapons at enemies. Not all vehicles are equipped with such systems; a vehicle that is, could with some success operate entirely on its own without a crew.

Even simple machines without complex automated systems like electronic door locks, surveillance cameras, weapons, etc are considered to have their own machine spirit. Prayers to the machine spirit are done before using, cleaning or repairing them. The belief in machine spirits arose sometime before the Horus heresy. In the novel Mechanicum, not all tech priests and adepts believe in machine spirits but all tech priests seen after the Heresy firmly do.

The addition of a real and functioning machine spirit is advantageous in the case of the vehicle's crew being killed or incapacitated, as the auto-systems are able to take control of the vehicle, firing its weapons and driving (providing the systems themselves are still functional). The machine spirit however cannot fully replace the abilities of trained human pilots. Going that far could garner the attention of the Inquisition as the Emperor has forbidden the creation of fully sentient Artificial Intelligence.1

Two of the most advanced and powerful types of machine spirit are those found with in Land Raiders and Drop Pods. With the Drop pods, it uses its abilities to handle course corrections and to avoid collisions into dangerous terrain or anti-aircraft fire. Upon landing, it reroutes all logic processing into Target acquisition and shooting for any on board weapons. A Land Raider's machine spirit is capable of virtually taking control of the entire tank for short periods of time, even so far as being able to track multiple targets and engage them simultaneously, or let the tank travel max speed and still unleash heavier weapons than normally permitted. One such famous tale is that of a Land Raider that belonged to the Crimson Fists Chapter's known as Rynn's Might, which survived the missile that leveled their fortress-monastery. Despite not having any crew on board, the machine spirit fought a solo war against an Ork Warband that was attacking, killing the Warboss that led the band and many of his followers over night before finally being destroyed.2

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