Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-25618639-20150220210346/@comment-6078851-20150224152934

you're right in regards to the level of sophistication needed, and that could only be attained after a significant amount of time after emps' death: if isolated worlds/systems survive post-emps then i think it's safe to assume that they would have to have a technologically sophisticated empire in order to survive, capable of new scientific progress.

in regards to knowledge: no-one has any because the mechanicum restricts what is taught and what's allowed to be taught, but there is one basic scientific principle that always works - trial and error. the mechanicum choose to stifle their own knowledge and ability to learn, and in turn they simply don't allow anyone to learn if they don't learn from the mechanicum. but everyone has the ability to learn if they're allowed to. plus they don't need peaceful relations with aliens to begin reverse engineering, it would be handy and convenient but not strictly necassary, as they could simply recover alien tech from fallen enemies.

the mechanicum will still be doing their "nothing new, new is bad, mkay?" routine, but i'm sure there would be some worlds that would revolt against governing institutions once they realise that emps is dead, and though the ecclesiarchy and mechanicum are powerful institutions there are worlds where they have a minimal presence, and no institution can survive if an entire populace rebels against it (provided there are no astartes present :P). there are worlds right now, and for thousands of years, which have attempted rebellion, some have even succeeded, but because of the astronomican such rebellions, successful or not, are quickly quashed. but when the astronomican goes out space travel-time, and troop deployment, increases dramatically and the very isolated worlds could easily end up being too costly to try and recover immediately, possibly leaving them for centuries, millenia, or indefinitely - as mentioned elsewhere there are still worlds from the previous galactic empire which have yet to be re-discovered, and the interex had a substantially advanced tech level without the mechanicum (and they only lost to the imperium because of numbers and astartes)

jetbike anti-grav tech and plasma weaponry were reverse engineered from eldar tech, of this i'm 99% certain, but i can't remember where i read this so i can't give a source (and without a source it doesn't bear any weight i know, sorry. i was 100% certain until i couldn't remember the source), but i'm pretty sure it was on this wiki or in a novel. i'll have a look through this wiki and codexes to see if i can find it, if you find something that contradicts this let me know. i'm currently reading a lengthy series so it'll be a while before i get to read my 40k novels again.

that's interesting about the illuminati, i'm gonna have to read up on them.