Chapter 7 - 71-79

With the graceful aid of my remembrancer implant, I begin to retell the events here at Sotha...from the beginning to the end.

Of course, slightly fudging over my deals with a Necron Lord, or the unauthorized rescue of my Faithful tech-priest. Heretical actions might have consequences.

Or admitting to stealing anything, because the Inquisitor is the law. Literally, an Inquisitor's words are the law. Very scary.

She listened to me patiently, sometimes kissing my cheek in praise.

I mean, I did wipe 4 Hell Forges and burned a few Craftworlds and that Tyranid infested Necron world. Plus demolishing two largish xeno invasions the Orks and the Eldar.

I should be praised, like the hero... Slap!

"You don't have the right to create an Inquisitor Fortress and a Deathwatch Company, damn moron!" my Rose yells with a psyker infused voice, and rubs her hand with annoyance. I did become more durable, with the Astartes blood.

I let the wave pass over me, and struggle to resist. Strong woman, my beloved. But only against mortals.

"You can also dismantle it, my dear, if it's not approved. In my opinion, we should defend Sotha for the years to come, especially against Eldar and Necrons. Chaos and Orks too, as they seem to enjoying ruining stuff." I mused to myself.

"Yes, we will. But it was not your right to do this! My authority will suffer, and from that, all the Inquisition too!" the Inquisitor answered in a deathly cold tone.

I sighed and walked away, to stare at the codicils and precepts of the Astartes inscribed on the cave's walls. Mounted on metal plaques glued to the wall, since the living-rock would repair any damage, if you somehow managed to effect tiny scars with some exotic weapon. Excellent material for armour, if I could harvest it.

"Which Inquisition, my Rose? The Ordo Hydra? Those that hunt down the Sensei, Emperor's own flesh children, so they can retain secular power, instead of passing the rule of the Imperium to a legitimate heir?The Xanthite ? The Phaeonites? Ordo Cronus? Those in the Cabal, that try to actively exterminate humanity? However many corrupted Inquisitors, hunting for relics or Dark artifacts, so they can live forever? There's a dozen factions in the Inquisition, and none of them do anything useful. Instead, Forge Worlds and Hives World get Exterminated, loyal Astartes Chapters get declared traitors, millions of guardsmen get casually murdered for simply seeing their Grey Knights, or fighting a few demons. Let's ask the Emperor what he says about your precious Inquisition!" I proclaimed with an accusing hand towards the Sounding Board.

Her eyes shifted, perhaps in fear. She knew what the Emperor would say, if he could. Kill them all!

And with this device someone probably could. Someone who knew him, might be able to reach him or at least a fragment of his mind. Someone like an Adeptus Custodes, or perhaps a Saint. His Primarchs without a doubt.

Her fists clenched, with anger and terror.

"You will never be allowed to bring the device in His presence, Rogue Trader. And the range from inside the Pharos is still too small. Not even a Librarian or a Mind-seer could force a connection from this far away." she declared after regaining some confidence.

I smiled and nodded. "There are roaming Primarchs still alive, and some in stasis. I even found an ancient Adeptus Custodes, imprisoned somewhere. Contemporaries of the Emperor, when he still walked on Terra. Vulkan, Jaghatai Khan, Rogal Dorn, Leman Russ, Lion El'Jonson. Even the other Fulgrim and the loyal Omegon. That Corvus Corax is still hunting the traitor Primarchs in the Eye of Terror. When I am ready to visit Terra, my dear...nobody will stop me. I can bet a throne on that." I answered in fake confidence.

Sure, I lacked actual secular power in the Imperium, but I wasn't really inside, was I?

In time, I could grow my power base.

The Inquisitor smiled thinly and nodded. "For someone with that much knowledge, it might be possible one day. If your plans actually come into fruition, you will be important in the Imperium."

"Very true, if I actually cared about that corrupted Imperium. The Emperor and the Forges, my Rose. Everything else can burn, and nothing important would be lost. So, you've brought more Exterminatus ordnance?" I concluded on a more cheerful tone.

She blinked, perhaps in surprise. "Of course. I even brought other presents. So, what targets do you have in mind?" she asked after a few seconds of deliberation.

Good. We weren't enemies yet.

"Still the Dark Eldar. The faster Ynnead gains his powers, the faster we get Guilliam back on his feet. Perhaps other Eldar, if they are active enemies. Then Orks and Hruds and Chaos, and infested Tyranid worlds. The Necrons last, because we're still way below them in science. The Suhbekhar_Dynasty for example, have their world hidden inside a Hollow_Sun. And a star is a million times more powerful than a torpedo, and they simply use that energy to keep themselves warm." I explained in a tired voice, and willed myself to step directly in my rooms on the Canticle, using the Pharos and not the teleportarium.

Better avoid the Warp as much as possible, lest some Dark God yank me during transfer, and throw me into a gladiator pit. I was almost sure they kept watch over Sotha by now.

They shouldn't be even able to see me, but why risk it?

In a minute, I disarmored myself and entered the shower, then hopped in my bed, while Canis rested his huge head beside me.

A warm body sneaked in the bed sometime later, but I was too tired just then. Make up sex could wait.

"Daddy! See, I manage to teleport, right in your room!" my daughter exclaimed in joy and jumped on the poor Canis to pet and hug the space wolf with no regard for life or limb.

"Woooooo?" Canis asked me while enduring the assault bravely.

"My daughter Janice, puppy. And this lady here is her mother." I explained while holding my hand out for the trice-blessed caf.

This time, my beloved Naya was on guard duty, and she did complete the ritual, offering a large mug of scented divine essence.

But I didn't manage to take a sip, as Janice screamed and shattered the cup and evaporated the contents. "Hold still, dad. Let me cleanse your hands." Janice added a bit gentler, while Naya was floating in mid-air.

Warp-fire engulfed my palms that had touched the cup, and green particles sparkled in the raising fog. My hands were not burned, but I think the poison had indeed reached my skin.

"Why do this, Voidman Naya?" I heard my lovely Inquisitor ask in a calm voice, like this was a normal day at work. It probably was...quite literally in the word inquisitor.

"...Why? You pathetic creature! This genetic abomination dares to strike at the most unholy worlds!" the creature inside Naya's flesh screamed as Janice got closer and gently waved a hand towards the traitor.

Blue and violet sigils bound the floating shape, distorting it horribly.

Then my eyes closed, and I fell asleep, which was really strange. I had just woke up feeling fresh.

My mind wandered, and I met Rafen and Ludvaius and a few more Blood Angels talking a walk through the nightmarish scenery, and shooting their bolters at dashing shadows.

A pulsating wound covered my side, flowing with red blood for no reason. And then I began feeling really thirsty.

"Resist the thirst, Brother. It wasn't easy for us, but you were always better, and much smarter. You will find a way. You always do." I heard Ludvaius encourage me, while his maul crushed in unseen blob of teeth and tentacles.

My implants were too far, and wouldn't help at all. This was my blood itself, acting up. Damn Angel!

Couldn't you have used nanites or something civilized, to heal my wrist?

I let my mind drift down towards the Pharos, and I began reciting the Canticle of Unceasing Service, over and over. It had to work. It had to worked before, after all.

Something liquid flowed down my throat, but it wasn't red and tasty. Still, it helped sate my thirst a little.

Then my mind reached Jonas, one of my Blank sons, walking through his burning desert alone and afraid.

"Son! Stay strong!" I urged him, and he looked at me with blurry eyes.

His thirst was so strong he could drink a sea. He could use a few words, and help him get through this.

"Have courage, Jonas. For I am here, beside you. Recite the Canticle after me, and you will conquer the Red Thirst. It's only a tiny flaw in the gene-seed, but we are Lancefires. We are Blank and immune to Warp, and we fear nothing, because we are what they fear!

My pain and thirst forgotten, I struggled with desperation to aid my son.

We could not fail, and fall into the damned blood curse. Even knowing why it happened, it didn't help much.

At least I was certain the Black Rage wasn't an issue, as neither Jonas nor me had any tendency to rage madly at anything. One cursed solved, possibly Warp induced or something of that nature.

But the modifications of our genes...that wasn't exactly easy to subdue. Way easier than normal people, for certain. But of those, you could count on a single hand the Blood Angels who conquered the Red Thirst.

Years passed in the scorching dessert, until Jonas turned to stare at me, and then to my left. I glanced to the side, catching a disappearing wing before it vanished. You better run, creepy Angel!

"Are you alright now, Jonas?" I asked in worry.

"It hurt a lot, but I think it's over. And to think I made fun of those red drops on the Blood Angel insignia...both blood and angels showed up." my son muttered and began fading away.

"Write the Canticle on your weapons!" I yelled in my mind.

Then I woke up, to find Janice and my dear Canis hugging each other while watching over me. Much better than a Warp entity with angelic wings.

"Wooo! Wooof!" my space wolf announced and licked my face with a towel-sized tongue. Wet as towel too.

"Hey sweetie. Mommy is busy?" I asked with a thin smile.

"Yeah, she's training her new Acolytes on that creature. The galls of it, to attempt something in my presence!" she exclaimed in a more confident voice.

"That's right, daughter. We are Lancefires, and we fear nothing. Because we are what they fear." I declared in a level tone, to see her eyes widen in surprise.

"Oh! Is that our Lancefire House motto? It's great. So, wanna meet the mute big sisters now?" Janice asked while twirling her force staff in mid-air.

Psyker powers were very cool for tricks like that.

"You know the Sisters of Silence are not medically mute, right? They just took a vow of silence. Which vows, we will smartly avoid by talking with our minds. It's how the entire Imperium works, only the written letter of the law counts. Sign language, mind signals, dancing and writing things on the implants, they are not speaking...so they must be correct. Just like the Church may not have men under arms, and they use women instead. The Adepta Sororitas." I explained gently while examining Janice for signs of mutation.

Didn't find any, and probably never will. Our Blank genes kept us safe.

Janice nodded wisely and petted Canis again. "Did you know, your puppy has a Rosarius around his neck? I was very confused at first." she asked with childish naivety.

"Yes, I asked a nice Astartes Chaplain to bless his Power Shield collar, and used my own fingernails to craft an organic conduit to the Emperor. As long Canis stays loyal, weapons will not harm him." I said pointing at the space wolf, who sat down meekly.

"Ah! Was it that simple? I'll have to ask mommy to build a dozen of them, for the big sisters. They have armor, of course....but shields are much better." Janice announced proudly and conjured a barrier shield around her.

I shook my head in amazement. Kids did get away with nearly anything, even from an Inquisitor.

"Go explore, sweetie. Daddy has to shower and get dressed." I told her, waving my hand in dismissal.

"Hehe. You do stink a little." she quipped then climbed on top of my space wolf and took off, passing through the metal door like it was made of air. It seems I will need blackstone, to keep my privacy with psykers on board.

I showered myself thrice, because I had been sweating blood, and normal sweat and got licked by a wolf. Damn dream visions!

Then I examined myself in the mirror, looking for wings or other deformity. Luckily, nothing of that sort.

My balls were still there, which was of vital importance for humanity.

Hopefully they still worked, unlike the implanted Astartes.

My Blood Angel bodyguard entered to check on me, and stood guard vigilantly. A bit too late...and my face probably showed it.

"We're very sorry about the slip up, Lord Lancefire. We failed you again." the Space Marine Chaplain added in a mourning tone.

I just sighed and began armoring up. "If we could detect chaospawn easily, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place, and Brother Arkio would still be alive. I heard the Inquisitor and her retinue took the creature someplace to interrogate it." I said in a level voice.

"Perhaps so, but one of us should have been in the room. The Inquisitor ordered us out." he explained in a slightly colder voice.

"And you have savant implants, Astartes. Those orders became null, once someone else entered my rooms. From now on, don't obey any orders unless from my voice, spoken or sent via implant or mind transfer. There are thousands of Inquisitors out there, and most of them are corrupt to their cores. If Inquisitors want marines, they have Deathwatch or Grey Ones or the Red_Hunters. Here on this Rogue Trader vessel, my Warrant is the law, and I speak with the Emperor's Voice." I demanded din a forceful voice.

The Blood Angel hesitated a little. "You have a child with this Inquisitor, my lord. Aren't you on the same side?"

I smiled gently and checked my armor again. It was getting tighter, as my body kept growing. Soon I will need the Astartes armor I confiscated from Brother Arkio.

"Normally, yes. But she doesn't receive orders directly from the Emperor, but some other Lord Inquisitor on Terra. And none of the corrupt shitstains ever dare enter the Golden Throne room, lest be smote into oblivion." I concluded and patted his pauldron.

He nodded a bit grimly. "I suspect you may be right Lord Pef, as you were with that corrupt Stele."

"On another note, Brother Cassiel has been found on my planet named Retribution, in the Eastern Fringe. I think he might be one of the first Blood Angels, sired by Sanguinius himself. Wanna meet him, Brother Delos?" I asked in a teasing voice.

He nodded in awe. "That would be wonderful, my lord. His gene-seed should be the purest."

"Yes, Delos. You will meet your lost brother today. Afterwards you will report to Lord Dante, and tell him I conquered the Red Thirst, at the same time as my son Jonas, on Baal. The Canticle of Unceasing Service was the catalyst that guided me through. Just like the name of my ship, isn't it funny?" I mused mostly to myself.

I still wasn't certain what a canticle was. But if it works, then it works. Simple logic.

"Really? I heard you were poisoned..." he asked a bit doubtful.

"What can I say? I got lucky, and the blood I received from the Angel on Estaban helped me fight off the poison. The Canticle helped as well." I answered with a shrug, and opened the door to find Canis, standing guard beside another Astartes.

"Janice vanished someplace?" I asked my brave wolf.

"Wooof. Woooo!" he answered quite logically.

"Come Delos. Let's take a walk." I asked softly and entered the elevator.

"Teleportarium deck?" he asked a bit wary. Perhaps my constant fits of tiredness rung an alarm bell.

"Big secret, Chaplain." I said as we arrived at the hexagonal teleport platform. He nodded cautiously.

"Ah, when that Chaos Sorcerer arrives on Baal disguised as a Tech-priest Magos, use these phased-iron bolts." I advised him and passed him a bolter clip.

"What?" he muttered in confusion.

But I had vanished already, and stepped out inside the Pharos.

"Pef Lancefire. We have common enemies, it seems." a glacial voice spoke in my head.

See? I was right!

Damn C'tan shard did wake up, from all the commotion.

"You must be the Mighty Zarhulash. Hold on, we have a few teleports to conduct right now." I hummed inward, while locking on the good Chaplain and bringing him down, then directly on Retribution.

He would be needed to check up on the frozen Cassiel, and explain the new realities.

And as Chaplains did have spiritual powers and authority, Delos would be quite perfect for the job.

Then I checked on Janice, to find her exploring the other Scythe Battle Barge, pretty much ignored by everyone. No doubt another psyker power to make herself invisible or forgotten.

Oh well, I did tell her to explore.

And with her familiar presence darting in and out of sealed vaults and locked armories, I could 'confiscate' more forgotten weapons and armors. Even an Incendiary Torpedo.

"So, you must recall the route to the Commorragh, mighty C'tan God. Wanna help, give them a warm surprise?" I asked in my mind, while using my Rosetta codes to activate the atmospheric igniter.

It worked wonders on the Tyranids, and the Eldar, even Dark Eldar were still flesh, and thus weak to fire.

"The Drukhari? Well, I won't say no to a small Eldar genocide. Nothing like the old days, but better than nothing." the C'tan answered a bit more warmly.

I had a feeling we will be very good friends in the future. Mostly the same enemies and methods. Sure, I saved the Necrons for last, and will need to convince this god shard to save humanity for last, just as well.

"It will take some time to activate this atmospheric burner, Mighty Zarhulash. So, what did you learn of my plans yet?" I wondered while cautiously enabling safety after safety.

"I have observed your deals with the Necron Trazyn. You offered him a lot, even another C'tan. And gained pitifully little. And now, the warp creatures hunt for your soul." the C'tan observed in a dismissive voice.

I nodded in agreement. Of course I did. But value is in the eye of the beholder.

"Travelling among stars without entering the Warp isn't so little, not for humanity. Trillions of humans get infected with warp parasites and another demons. Just like this woman on my ship. Can you imagine what it would be like, if a Great Daemon got his claws on you? My Canticle doesn't even have blackstone armor." I complained, and added a small threat in there.

The being laughed, as if there was a good joke somewhere. "Yes, humans are easily corrupted, except the few of you that are Blanks."

"And so it is, Mighty C'tan. That's why I try to spread Blank genes among all humans, and Warp-less ships. We could become like the Necrons, immune to the Warp and the Great Enemy." I explained in a pleading voice.

Please don't kill us first! Leave us for last...and then we'll see.

"Very amusing plan...and it might work. But you, Pef Lancefire will very likely die, much sooner. There is an armada heading right here, and those won't be cretin Orks." he declared in a deathly voice, in my mind.

Shit! That wasn't good.

"Well then. I better launch all warheads available, and run away. If they blow up Sotha, I'm sure we'll meet again." I muttered as the Exterminatus-grade incendiary started beeping in alert.

"I'll guide the torpedo, human. Send it inside the Webway first." the C'tan said in slight amusement.

And so I did, with much more ease than guiding it all the way to Commorragh, not that I could anymore. The old routes seeemed to have shifted, since the last time I bombed the Dark Eldar.

"There! Not quite as strong as I could do it with my Cosmic Fire ...but that Port_of_Lost_Souls is pretty toast, I'd say. A billion Aeldari dead, not bad for an hour of hard work, right?" he asked rhetorically

I nodded and grinned. Both the dead Drukhari and the destroyed port will put a crimp in the Dark Eldar raids all over the galaxy. And without ships, they wouldn't be able to bring fresh slaves for torture or experiments.

A minute later, my Rose arrived in the Pharos, holding her tarot deck tightly. "This time it worked, magnificent bastard!" she shouted and embraced me tightly.

"Shhh. Keep my secret." I said out loud, and in my mind. A cold laughter acompanied me, as I stepped directly into my room with the loving prize in my arms, and hastily began undressing the lovely Inquisitor.

Perhaps another Blank child will arrive

Much later, my Rose stretched like a lazy cat and patted my upgraded chest with satisfaction.

"This is much better, love. Great body, decent mind, mostly acceptable decisions. I might keep you just for the body though." she commented in a light tone.

I sighed and drew her into a hug. "There is a Forge World called Venatoria, and they produced a device called a Reality_Cage. I need to obtain one, and make it work. Should keep any planet safe from demons. Or at least from Warp Storms and the Tyranid Silence."

She stood still for a second then climbed to stare me in the eyes. "Is it even possible? The implications...how come I don't know about this?" Rose asked in a cold tone.

I just shrugged. "The modern Mechanicus tech-priests are either idiots or unhinged geniuses. Most of them simply toil in the forge, producing same cogs and metal parts for centuries. They don't even know how the devices work, just follow the STC template like it's magic. The other kind...these guys from Venatoria tried to close the Maelstrom. Of course, they failed miserably and most records were expunged. I'm not sure even the best Necron crpyteks can do that. And humanity is 60 million years less advanced."

The Inquisitor pierced me with a death stare and poked my chest. "You know too much. Can you even make it work, at least on planetary scale?"

"Yes my dear, it's only a big Gellar field, at the origin. I am building a Hive-city-sized Gellar field over my capital on Illevar, right now. But those permanent Warp vortexes are something completely different. The fall of the Eldar created the Eye of Terror. You can guess the rest." I continued with a sadder voice.

"... I can guess, indeed. And where do you get all these stories from, Lord Lancefire? The Pharos?" she asked quite logically.

"The C'tan shard is awake, dear Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos. You may interrogate the prisoner as much as you want." I spoke in a teasing tone.

Her eyes went wide, in fear and hope. "Truly? A real C'tan? Is it coherent? At least a little?" she asked with a fast breath.

"For a simple shard of a C'tan, this being is quite sane. I call him Mighty Zurhulash, and he promised to help here and there...until he escapes and kills everyone." I explained patiently, and played with her death and duty.

But Rose didn't seem to mind, deep in a mental trance of some kind. Possibly sealed mnemonics, locked for just such a contingency.

"My orders say to contact Inquisitor Ario Barzano, in the event of making contact with a contained C'tan or a shard of one." my dear Rose declared, with a painful scowl on her face.

Probably a C'tan was way above her paygrade, among the more renowned Ordo Xenos Inquisitors, and Barzano had been close to reaching the Nightbringer C'tan, before the Dark Eldar arrived. I'd bet a throne he knew the lore very well.

I shook my head and sighed. "Well, I'm certain I can find this Inquisitor. But I don't have anything of real value to trade for him. Except...some Eldar prisoners...maybe. It would be a long shot, as these guys might not even have a craftworld anymore. I did save them for you...in case you were one of those seeking to obtain the secret of the spirit stones. Same with all these Eldar vessels I captured at not small cost."

"Where is he? Tell me!" she yelled at me in almost panic. Possibly mania-induced compulsion. Those shit-eating bosses of theirs...

"You better not know, my love. I do have control over the Pharos...so technically I could kidnap him from wherever he is kept. But those guys are...how should put it? Strong and vindictive. One of them captured an entire Tyranid Hive fleet, and keeps it in a stasis box, on his desk." I answered rather truthfully.

Perhaps not yet, but Trazyn the Infinite did have a Hive fleet as a pet, in my other memories.

My Rose blinked in confusion, then started to think rationally again.

"That kind of power...what kind of people do you know, my strange Rogue Trader?" she wondered a bit amazed.

I waved her words away. "There are half a trillion stars in the galaxy, my dear. Among them...countless godlings and other entities. These C'tan...who do you think broke them into shards and bound them in impregnable prisons? The Imperium of Man is so small, like one person alone on death world ... or like oil poured over a deep ocean. You look at a galactic map and think: We are so big, look at us, spread everywhere! And then waves and currents and whirlpools shatter the illusion, and the oil is scattered in the storm."

She sighed and nodded in sadness. "You think I don't know the immensity of what we face? I am a psyker, my dear Pef. I see those currents, every single minute."

"We need to sail above this ocean. Build strong islands where the waves can't reach. And when we learn enough, we can build underground tunnels and airplanes, to avoid the ocean completely. And my Blank genes, they are the impermeable suits that keep the water away." I mused to myself, in a reverie.

The Emperor had tried something like this, but ignorance was not armor. People would see the Warp and play with it. And then the Warp will play back.

"All you say makes sense, yet seems like an impossible dream. Can you get Barzano, or do I need to make an astropath call to someone else?" the Inquisitor demanded again.

I sighed and rolled away for my shower. I could try, at least. Maybe the guy wasn't dead.

Rose didn't have to shower, using her powers to burn away sweat and smells. Convenient use, if one had enough skill with pyrokinesis.

I checked myself in the mirror, and my face seemed a bit different. Prettier. Must be the new genes.

"Sanguinius, you were too pretty for your own good. And didn't even get a wife or two." I muttered in distaste, and walked out to find Rose already dressed in her combat gear, leather and chest plate, and the nice Rosarius relic on her necklace.

"Talking with the mirror?" she asked me while checking my naked body shamelessly. Well, there wasn't much body shame in this universe. People lived short, brutal lives.

"One day, I will find Sanguinius and punch his smug face. Look what his genes are doing to my face!" I complained as I began gearing for a new day in Hell.

Rose snorted amused. "That would be great to see. Especially when he hits you back."

I sighed as she was probably right. Astartes were all violent brutes.

A few minutes later, I arrived back in the Pharos, with my xeno hating girlfriend. "Mighty Zurhulash, this is an Inquisitor of Ordo Xenos. Please cooperate, a tiny bit." I spoke out loud while flipping off the stasis field around the Sounding Board.

"Puppy guy here, Lord Trazyn. Busy day?" I asked in a cheerful tone.

"Yes, but I will make time for my best favor trader. This C'tan shard has a whole new array of abilities!" he exclaimed a bit excited.

Well, he probably didn't have many friends. I'll try to be nice to him.

"Mine has Cosmic Fire. Hits harder than an Exterminatus-grade torpedo." I answered praising my own prisoner.

"Oh! I don't know that ability yet. Sounds potent though. Cosmic energies are among top five. You could train yours a bit more. Other abilities might manifest, under duress and pain." the Necron Lord advised me politely.

"Right! About that. I find myself in need of a C'tan expert. Is that poisoned Inquisitor guy still alive?" I wondered idly.

"Yes, but he's raving mad. I even cured him for free!" Trazyn complained petulantly.

"Did those Enslaver bone shards work like I proposed?" I asked instead. I did have a favor to collect, after all.

The Necron Lord stopped chatting for a minute. "I knew it. Well, they work differently but still work. You want the useless sword?"

"I would have, but you tested it on your C'tan, and didn't work. No point wasting my favor on it. You still have those Astartes gene-seeds?" I asked to make sure. Probably not.

"How do you even know about them? And no, someone interesting traded for them already." Trazyn the Infinite answered, a bit surprised. Or faking it very well.

"Fabius, right? Give me more work, will you? It's like you want the Eye of Terror to spread out and corrupt the entire galaxy. Keep doing stuff like this and you might find yourself alone." I muttered in fake dismay.

"Again that crazy trick of yours. I wasn't even there!" he complained in real worry this time.

"For that, I will take the Custodes and the Inquisitor. And some Astartes too...a Company of..." I began saying.

"No! Not my precious Custodes. I only have one! And no Company of Astartes either. A squad at most." he rebutted be a bit fiercely.

"You have an entire Chapter! Give me the others. Ultramarines, Salamanders and whatever else." I demanded with a harsher tone.

"Calm down, stranger...not all of them... I need to keep at least one, of every color. Where should I send the rest?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Forge Antax, the Salamanders and the Inquisitor. The Ultramarines on Forge Gantz. Anyone else, at Forge Hypnoth. And a derelict ship with STC schematics too. I forgot about them and they keep complaining." I asked with a bit of trepidation.

It had been pretty close. Plus that Forge will be attacked by other Necrons soon. Better prepare the ground.

"Alright! Trade finished and no taking back!" the Necron exclaimed in a happier voice.

"Good. Now, I have another story if you're interested." I whispered as another dataslate vanished from my hands and into his own.

"Oh? Gellar fields? From weak, to creepy, to medium. What are these for?" Trazyn asked confused.

"A thousand year ago, a group of Mechanicus tech-priests from Forge Venatoria tried to close the Eye of Terror, with a Reality Cage device. After they failed tragically, they tried again, on the Maelstrom, using reality bombs. They never found the bodies, or the devices. However, someone with patience and skill..." I continued in an enticing tone.

"Those idiots in the Mechanicus! Without Living Rock and Compressed Blackstone...no wonder they failed so abjectly. What did they use to power it, a plasma reactor?" the scientist Necron erupted in disgust.

"Well...I don't have such grand dreams. Not yet, and not without your help, Lord Trazyn. Even you failed last time...I mean in the other future where we all die horribly, and the larger Tyranid swarms not yet devoured run away in fear. Damn stupid Orks!"

I muttered in fake anger.

I bet nobody expected the Orks to devour everything, except perhaps the Old Ones that created them.

"Orks? You mean to tell me... the Orks win?" Trazyn asked in outrage. I know buddy.

"Not these Orks, of course. But their Waagh field contains all the knowledge and inventions of the Old Ones. They just need sufficient numbers. A trillion planets infested with greenskins, and they are the new reality. And for that, they just need a powerful enemy to offer a 'gud fight'. Chaos or Tyranids, even Necrons...all swept away by unstoppable tides of Titan-sized Orks that sprout a thousand more if you kill one. Cute revenge, right?" I asked in fake humor.

"And these Mechanicus Reality Cages will contain the Waagh field, just like Warp incursions. They would be useful. Damn it! I hate travelling!" the Necron grumbled in annoyance.

"I know the Necrons have something similar, but it would be too hard to make, by my allies. Alas, I'm off to find more nice stuff, in the Halo Stars. Don't call me, I'll call you." I said with faint amusement and closed the call.

Rose stared at me and then pointed wordlessly towards a moving wall, right in front of us. The wall folded open, revealing the prisoner kept inside the Pharos.

Strangely, the alien C'tan looked almost human, if much larger

While the Eldar fleet bombarded the rift and battled the howling demons, I fell into deep meditation, using the Pharos to skim the fabric of space for something of use against the remaining Eldar forces.

They still had 10 to 1 superiority in numbers, and millions of years of advanced technology.

And I was nearly out of options.

Then I remembered the threat I threw towards the C'tan, and smiled.

A Greater Demon would be more than sufficient, and much more.

Of course, not summoning one, because I wasn't insane. But if I could find a trapped one somewhere?

It would make an excellent trading gift, right?

And if my memories weren't wrong, that Hell Forge I blasted to bits, it did have a Greater Daemon, trapped in a Tesseract_labyrinth. I turned my mind-eyes towards the scattered fragments of Ghalmek, and began searching.

It did last hours and hours, and meanwhile the Warp rift had been closed and the Eldar had began approaching Sotha, if very cautiously.

I was running out of time fast, as the C'tan kept reminding me, once per hour.

But luck was on my side once again, and I located the faceted crystal just in time. So I called my best friend from another race. "Overlord Trazyn, may I ask if you're too busy for a trade?"

"Oh? Back so soon? Don't tell me you already found something of value?" he asked in a friendly voice.

"Yes and no. No value for me, none whatsoever. But then, I do not collect rare beings like yourself. Ah, those mind scarabs...perhaps it is time to remove their shackles, now that those delivered to me are my prizes. And the Enslaver Bone Shield too, if it's ready. I kept thinking I misplaced it somewhere, in this dimension or the other." I demanded as a first step.

Not going to touch that crystal unless I had a mind shield. Greater Daemons were bullshit enough.

"Hehe. I forgot about the mind control too...there! All of them have been released. I even found an Ark Mechanicus cruiser for that Hypnoth Forge of yours. But no reality cage, not yet. I need to trace the timelines of that Venatoria Forge, and they seemed quite tangled, even for those who get close to the Eye. And the bone...well. It is ready. Let me hear what you have first." Trazyn announced with a more cautious voice.

"What I have to trade, is a Tesseract containing a Greater Daemon. I don't think anyone has ever captured one before." I explained in a teasing tone.

I didn't exactly claim I did the capture, but then this wasn't the point. I had possession of the goods, which meant I could sell it.

The Necron almost yelled in joy, because it was true...nobody else had a caged Greater Daemon. "I want it!"

"Of course you do, my friend. So, I need the bone shield, as I can't manipulate such a thing without protection. And then, I want 10 empty tesseracts, with operation instructions usable by a medium-grade Tech-priest, and...something that can move a planet, without damaging it too much. Also...that Custodian and a Company of..." I started adding on my wish list, just as Trazyn ground his necrodermic teeth in anger.

"Enough! No more Astartes, stranger. There are millions of Space Marines out there, find your own. And nothing like 10 tesseracts! Even empty, they have a certain value. Two, at most. The Bone Shield I understand, depending on your race it would be terminally dangerous to handle a Greater Daemon. Same with operating instructions...although if you are a tech-priest, I feel sorry for you." the Necron Lord exclaimed while he sliced off the negotiation deck, and ignored the Custodian deal.

So it would be possible after all, just not yet. Same for the planet drive, which wasn't that difficult for any advanced race or psyker. I just wasn't any of those.

"Not a tech-priest, but I am good friends with many of them. Just hold it in front of you...and don't forget to remove any traps." I said while locking onto the space in front of Trazyn.

"Just the bone, right now. And this dataslate with the tesseract instructions." he argued, perhaps fearful I won't conclude the deal.

In a twirl of space, I waved the artifacts into my hands.

A mind shield sprang around me, eliminating all my fatigue, and there was a mental trigger for some kind of empathic blast wave embedded in the dark metal cover.

The C'tan tried to say something in my mind, but it was blocked, giving only a slight tingle of warning. Perfect job, Trazyn!

"What is the Mighty C'tan saying?" I asked my Rose.

"He warns that the other Eldar vessels are gathering into a second fleet and will arrive in the system in a few hours." The Inquisitor explained while measuring the new weapon in my hand with Ordo Xenos wariness. Quite rightfully, if I might say.

I now had a weapon similar to Trazyn's own Empathic_Obliterator, which was also a mind shield, and probably still a gravity hammer like before. And just like Trazyn himself wasn't a psyker and could use it, so could I.

Then I connected to the dataslate with my implant and began to rapidly download and read the operating instructions, which seemed much too simple. Perhaps Trazyn had a too low opinion about the Mechanicus. Some of them could be really smart.

A dozen minutes later, I opened my eyes and checked the fleet situation, to find the Eldar already bombarding the outer forts.

Time had ran out. Damn it.

Twisting space again, I cautiously willed the Tesseract crystal inside the Pharos, and immediately away, into Trazyn's room.

Something did tingle my mental defenses, while Rose crashed to her knees in pain and agony, with eyes glowing blue. "What was that? It felt like a Daemon, a big one. I haven't felt anything like that since we killed Fulgrim."

"Well my dear, I am a Rogue Trader, aren't I? Someone had a Greater Daemon of Khorne trapped in a box, and someone else wanted it, for his collection. I get a finder's fee, and access to another deal in the future." I explained patiently as two empty tesseracts appeared in my hand.

I had one crystal flipped into my chest null box, and started connecting with the second crystal, via my implants.

Strangely, it worked quite similar to the Pharos, only it had a pocket dimension as the teleport destination, and a much smaller radius, barely a star system, not a galactic sector.

But it was enough. With my empathic staff in one hand for mental fortitude, and the dimensional crystal in another, I began abducting the Eldar ships, until only the battleship remained.

In a few seconds, the Farseer lady on board the last battleship realized the shift in their fate, and stopped firing their beams.

I ordered my Blood Angels to stop firing back. No need to damage my new Void_Stalker after all.

"Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. Resistance is futile!" I send into her mind, and she crashed to her knees in defeat.

"Signus, begin teleporting Blood Angels onto the bridge of the Eldar Battleship. It's time to accept their surrender." I sent to my loyal enginseer, who wasn't all that amazed at my victory.

I have never lost a single battle, after all.

"Of course, Captain. Took longer than usual." he complained, for no reason at all.

Come on! Asking for a miracle was enough, now you want it fast as well?

"Go on, Rose. The Eldar Farseer awaits." I said with a tiny smile, and beamed her on board the Void Stalker, right after the first wave of Blood Angels teleported, from the Hearth of Sotha.

My Canticle and the conveyors had already departed for Forge Retribution, so I began collecting my own Lancefire House starfighters inside the tesseract, from all over the system.

This device had a lot of potential, not just to kidnap enemies, but to recover damaged ships or conduct carrier operations without much risk to the pilots.

I was now ready to take part in the Badab War, and collect more ships and allies for my forces, and even rescue the bunch of idiot Astartes, before they became traitors.

But first, I did have a dozen Silent Sisters to charm, and convince them to produce babies for humanity.

That might be more difficult than winning against an Eldar armada.

"What do you say, Mighty Zarhulash? Should I accept their surrender?" I asked in a teasing voice.

"Again, you traded at a huge loss, Pef Lancefire. Two empty tesseracts, for another one containing a Greater Daemon? Or do you intend to trap me inside the other one?" the C'tan asked in a wary tone.

I just smiled sweetly, in response

"Let's hope we never have to get to that point, Mighty Zarhulash. Plus, doing what Lord Trazyn says, torturing a C'tan to obtain more abilities? Is that really necessary?" I asked in a meeker tone, and then located my daughter on the Aegida, talking to a Sister.

Hmmm, so they weren't all muted? Perhaps that woman hadn't taken the vow of tranquility yet. Most likely so.

Made sense to keep a few voice able sisters around, if communicating with other people was needed.

A few other Sisters had Vox comms attached to their Vratine Armour, so they possibly could use tech-lingua or other forms of mechanical transmission. Their armor looked amazing, even had boob plates! But, it wasn't air sealed, and that wasn't so great. Gonna have to fix that.

With a twist of the Pharos, I arrived in the same room, to the surprise of the Pariah women, who should have nullified any psyker spell or ability.

"Hello Janice! So these are your big Sisters? They don't look so big..." I wondered in a doubtful voice.

"Daddy! This Sister is Alana. She can still talk, because she is only a Novice. I could be a Novice too, right?" my daughter asked in a dimple smile.

No, resist with all your strength, Pef! Don't let your daughter get stolen in some creepy cult.

"We shall see, sweetie. First you need to learn the Navigator skills, and then we can work on these other forms of magic." I said instead, not willing to break her heart just yet. Plus, some of these women seemed battle-hardened and quite capable.

More than me, anyway.

"You are Lord Lancefire? I thought you were a Blank, not another miracle like Janice." Sister Alana asked me with a concerned voice.

I just shrugged carelessly. "I certainly am a Blank. I fought Chaos Sorcerers before, even killed a traitor Primarch once. But most importantly, I am a Rogue Trader. " I answered and opened my null box to remove my Warrant scroll.

Better make sure they knew what I was, before knowing me better. So I offered the Warrant to the Sister in charge. "Please read it, my dear. Especially the part about my duty, beyond the borders of the Imperium."

The Witchseeker took the scroll a bit confused and started reading.

While reading, her free hand flashed in battlespeak, which was quite similar to what Ludvaius had taught me.

I sighed and slammed my bone staff on the metal floor. "We can also talk mind-to-mind. It will become easier when we know each other better." I spoke to all of them empathically.

It was very difficult though, even with the aid of my Enslaver staff. Pariah were a different breed, that was certain.

The armored women blinked in confusion, then stared from me to Janice and back.

More miracles today, no doubt. A minute later, the leader of this squad handed me the Warrant, looking thoughtful.

"The Inquisitor told me your group is interested in joining me and my clan, setting up a Blank community in the Fringe. Was she wrong?" I asked in a gentler voice.

The leader stared into my eyes and nodded, a bit hesitant. "You look more like an Astartes than a Rogue Trader, Pef Lancefire. I have seen both, during my duties." the Sister replied in my mind.

Good enough, for now. "You and Alana, join me as we deal with the Eldar. Name?" I asked as I turned for the door and began walking away.

"I am Sister Hestia." the null maiden answered in my mind, as she began walking after me.

"Can I come too, dad? I wanna explore the Eldar ship too!" Janice asked in a pleading voice.

"You can't, sweetie. It is a warzone, and Eldar are treacherous. You don't even have a Rosarius." I explained gently and patted my belt.

"Damn it! What if I ride Canis?" she yelled after me.

"No means no!" I spoke harshly in her mind, leaning on my staff for extra power.

The girl pouted and went to hug the nearest Sister, who seemed rather confused.

"Sister Aleya, teach me that sword move again!" Janice demanded in a childish voice.

The sound of an Execution Blade scraping the metal floor announced how my daughter could get away with outrageous things even from other people, not just her parents, or their wolf pet.

The Aegida was a rather big fortress, and it still bore the marks of combat and fire. Tech-priests and techmarines worked side by side with serfs and servitors to repair the damage, while a couple of Inquisition Acolytes watched over them trying to look scary.

I ignored the obvious killers and torturers, and stared at a blonde woman with a dozen Mechanicus implants and lots of gear that would better suit an infiltrator, or perhaps an Assassin.

So I stopped next to her, to observe the repairs. "Hello there. You fought in the siege?" I asked with a tiny tendril of humor.

The blonde woman patted her needle rifle, and smiled back. "A single Eldar assault boat made it into the hangar, Lord Lancefire, and it was over very fast. I thought you'd be taller, from all the stories I heard."

"I'm still growing, my dear. I expect I'll get much taller, in a century or two." I answered in a fake whisper, and walked on.

"Modest too..." she muttered while staring at my armored ass. Holding my helmet sensor towards the back always made for best comebacks.

"You think she is marking my ass for a needle shot?" I asked the non-mute Alana, who blushed and glanced at the sniper Acolyte in surprise.

"... Perhaps not for a needle, my Lord." Alana mumbled in a stammer.

How cute. She might become my favorite in bed soon.

"We will take the Talion" Sister Hestia announced me with another mind message, while pointing at an armored lander with a few special weapons on its wings.

Looked a lot like the Deathwatch deep strike gunships, the Corvus_Blackstar.

"Looks very advanced. I like it." I complimented the ship and Alana smiled widely at me.

"We have nice gear, from Mars and Luna. I am learning to pilot as well." she explained while the Null Maiden climbed in the cockpit and took off like a veteran pilot. Hestia most certainly knew her job, or she wouldn't be leading this team, far behind enemy lines.

"So, what do you do with the Blank boys, when they get born? Drown them?" I asked to make conversation. There were only women in this sisterhood, and I already knew Blank boys would get born. I had quite a few myself.

Alana blinked at me in confusion, then towards the cockpit. "I heard rumours...they get taken to Holy Terra. But I don't think they just drown them."

"They probably grind their bones to make Psyk-Out Grenades or something." I answered with grim smile.

The Novice Sister glared at me like I said something untrue. "You think they make nega-psi bolts from dead Blanks or Pariah?" she asked a bit terrified.

I nodded with certitude. "Completely certain, Sister Alana. Of course, they might die during battles or something. It's not like anyone would hate Untouchables so much, that they would simply murder them to collect the organic parts, right?" I asked rhetorically, as the Talion lander entered the launch bay of the Eldar Void Stalker.

"... I've never heard of Blank men fighting in battles." Alana confessed with a horrified face.

All the more reason not to enter the Imperium again. I liked my bones and organs where they were.

A few minutes later, I was escorted on the battleship's bridge, where a tall and lithe Eldar female was kept under guard by my Blood Angels.

On the way, I wondered at the very advanced and clean battleship, which looked more like white and grey plastic. Compared to the smoky, oily and rather grim human ships, this Eldar vessel was a real wonder.

"Farseer?" I inquired politely.

"You have joined forces with that abomination from beyond the stars, human!" the Eldar yelled at me, while shrinking from the Pariah aura of my pretty escorts.

"Not sure what your point is, Farseer. You will offer and I will accept your surrender, or else execute you and all your followers. One solar minute to think it over." I explained while deliberately checking the corrupted bolter rounds magazine, and loading it inside the Unceasing Service bolter pistol.

Her eyes grew wide with terror, as the psychic emanation from those bolts announced an eternity of torture at Slaanesh loving tentacles.

"You cannot do this! Our souls would be damned forever." She yelled and tried some psyker gestures, which were rather futile with those Pariahs beside me.

I hummed, pretending to consider her words. "Humanity has the Emperor and the Omnissiah. Right here on my chest, the twin-headed Aquila." I indicated tapping the sigil.

" Orks have their Gork and Mork, both ready to accept their Orkish spirits after they die. What gods do the Aeldari have? Right...nearly all of you suicided to create one, not so long ago. Surely your new god will await you with open arms, right?" I continued with fake naivety.

The Farseer seemed rather reluctant to meet her god.

My Rose snorted like I said a good joke. "How strange. She didn't fear death, until you arrived, Lord Lancefire. Your rhetoric might be lacking, but it surely seems to work anyway."

I smiled widely, and cocked the bolter as a warning. "I didn't hear a yes, Farseer. Two solar seconds, one..."

"Yes! We surrender, damn monkey!" the Eldar proclaimed, and her honor guard slumped in defeat.

"Hestia, gather their potent psykers and transport them to the Fortress. Alana, sing something nice." I commanded with a grin. Better get my Alana used to having a voice. I won't let her lose it.

A clear voice began singing praise to some long forgotten saint.

But I didn't mind, and just enjoyed my victory moment

Once the battleship was brought under control, with not too many shots fired, to everyone's surprise, I returned to the Aegida Inquisitorial Fortress.

Another flick of tesseract powers concluded my victory, as I confiscated all the damaged hulls remaining, including Ork and Eldar derelicts from the previous invasions. I will need those hulls for my Forge friends.

For now, Sotha will have to fend for itself, with the aid of the Scythe Battle Barges and Strike Cruisers, plus the ring of orbital forts.

Of course, my Rose will continue interrogating the prisoners, and await her designated C'tan expert to handle the imprisoned shard. I was highly doubtful on the guy's chances of success, but it wasn't exactly my problem.

Over the next three weeks, I continued using the Pharos to collect intelligence for my next objectives, especially around Badab and the Maelstrom_Zone.

Without the important Hell-Forge, Chaos forces in that area were substantially weakened, and that allowed the Imperial Navy and local Astartes Chapters to conduct more and more deep strike missions in and around the Warp vortex.

Also, as soon as my mental faculties recovered, I would launch new Exterminatus-grade torpedoes at strategically important targets, places like Gorkamorka, which needed eliminating, as a potential outbreak source for a huge Waagh or a Necron awakening danger. The Orks burned alive, their crashed space hulk melted into torrents of adamantium and plasteel, and the melted magma sealed the Necron Tombs even tighter.

They should not get bothered again for a long time.

Well, unless someone begins mining the place, which would be great too. Forge Megyre was the closest, so perhaps my clan could get a Favor or two by revealing a few gigatonnes of adamantium, ready to be grabbed.

Since the Necron World of Somonor got invaded and got rather well-chewed up by Hive Fleet Kraken, I followed up with another Atmospheric Incendiary warhead, melting and eliminating the bugs and preparing that place to become a mining world for more blackstone. I would take a year or two, but Forge Metalica was nearby. They could handle hot lava.

However, the next incendiary attack on the Necron crownworld of Sarlok was somehow deflected by a dampening field, producing minimal effects, so I decided to wait for the Tyranids to reach it and demolish those defenses first.

The daemon world of Venkrous was next, just next door in the Hadex Anomaly, and then daemon world Torvendis in the Maelstrom.

Still using only Incendiary torpedoes, because they were 100 times cheaper and more readily available.

Cyclonic torpedoes would be reserved for Class 1 dangers, like Hell Forges or Black Crusades.

And then the other Inquisitor arrived, high and mighty and full of airs. Broadcasting threats and warnings from the edge of the Sotha's system , like he owned the place. Well, he kinda did now that I made an Inquistion Fortress out of Sotha.

There were still 5 Cyclonic and 34 Incendiary torpedoes waiting inside the Pharos, so I warped them in my other Tesseract, where I kept the good things. Two more Vortex torpedoes were returned to their own Battle Barges, as were their Melta torpedoes. No need to weaken the ability of the Barges to defeat another big invasion.

And so, I ordered my Astartes and Silent Sisters into their assault landers, then they vanished in the void, and inside the good labyrinth. Continuing the emergency evacuation, I loaded the Pharos's Sounding Board on its transport tractor and then folded it inside the dimensional tesseract with care.

Then I tried using the Pharos, and the empathic console seemed unaffected by the dimensional differential, which made sense a little, and no sense at all. Damn Necron tech was more advanced than magic.

My new C'tan friend was given a few life-saving instructions, which he will probably ignore out of boredom and pride.

A minute later, I stepped out of the Pharos and right into my Fabricator's office on Forge World Retribution, hundreds of light years away.

The guy had been my bridge officer for a few decades, so I could trust him for some things.

A second later, my followers and their shuttles emerged in Retribution's orbit, released from the tesseract, and I ordered them to secure the battleships and await orders.

Sometimes, access to very advanced tech meant I could cheat the odds and gain time. That's how Trazyn must feel all the time, with the ability to bend time and dimensions at his will.

The conveyors and the Canticle had not arrived yet, although they departed from Sotha weeks ago.

"Fabricator, I believe you found the STC presents?" I asked as a dozen tentacles turned towards me holding deadly weapons.

"By the Omnissiah! Don't scare me like that, Captain Pef. I almost fried you..." Magos Dominus muttered and splattered me with holy machine oil.

I felt like home again. This time however, the oil evaporated with a sizzle on my shield.

I glanced at his metal tentacle with arcing current, still tapping my Rosarius conversion shield. "I am real, my friend. No need to banish me like a demon." I quipped and blinked a bit surprised. Wasn't expecting such electrifying welcome.

"... Errr. Sorry about that, Captain. There have been some strange occurrences on that Apocalypse-class battleship. Voices haunting people, servitors strangling themselves..." Dominus mumbled, as he drew his crackling mechadendrite back sheepishly.

"And thus, you immediately installed a dozen Gellar fields, to impose reality on the haunted ship?" I asked wryly.

The tech-priest blinked in confusion, then waved his tentacles while spouting orders, in binharic and techno-lingua. The cogitator screen came alive with thousands of lines of code and construction routines, some reasonable, others quite irrational.

Then again, such was all the Mechanicus, and the Imperium was much worse. Reason was almost forgotten. Only faith and fury.

Another red-robed Magos entered like he owned the place, with an Antax symbol on his cog. "Dominus! Why so many Gellar...oh. Captain Lancefire. I am Fabricator Locum Yridann 0119." he introduced himself politely, and without trying to burn me alive.

Progress!

"Go on with your duties, Fabricators. I'll be around inspecting my new Forge World." I said politely and walked out, nearly breaking my face into Brother's Delos chest plate.

"Delos, well met Brother! Where is Brother Cassiel?" I asked while patting the man's shoulder in greeting. For a psyker, this guy was quite decent. Didn't even flinch at my Blank aura.

"Reciting the Canticle, like you have ordered, my Lord. It seems to work great, and the Rage is almost conquered." Delos explained, and then grinned warmly. He even seemed happy to see me again.

"And, you have not departed for Baal. For what reason?" I asked in slight worry. Astartes wouldn't disregard orders easily, so whatever it was, it was bad.

"... I considered prudent to not expose Brother Cassiel to more stress. Being lost in time for 10 millennia was a great shock, plus whatever he endured in his captivity. I also detected some kind of alien implants, inserted in his brain." the Chaplain told me softly, with a few fingers signalling "Xeno origin confirmed." in Astartes battlespeak.

"Alright, someone did things to him during these millennia, and thus you immediately contacted the Fabricator to have these strange implants removed, right?" I asked rhetorically.

The Chaplain changed faces a few times, settling on shame and defeat. "I haven't considered that, my lord. The Mechanicus...they are heathens and worship the Machine God."

I tapped my chest again. "See these two eagle heads, my friend? The Emperor and the Forge, united in a single body on Mount Olympus. Your armor is made by Forge Incaladion, right?"

The Chaplain starred at his black painted pauldron, and nodded in understanding. "So, are you saying we should trust the tech-priests?"

I shook my head. "You should not trust anyone, by default. Only by word, deed and intent. One day, when humanity will be made only of Blanks, and travels the stars without entering Warp, then it will be different. But until then, always be cautious and ready to shoot. Especially Inquisitors and Adeptus Ministorum priests. Power drives people mad, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It was the same on Old Terra, and now is a million times worse."

Delos muttered a prayer and seemed to mediate on my words. "Absolute power...like all Inquisitors have as Agents of the Throne." he concluded with a scowl.

Soon enough, we reached an Emperor's chapel where the ancient Blood Angel was praying, while staring at some grotesque icons of beasts and spears and lots of blood.

They surely helped calm his fears, I hoped.

"What is death?" I shouted, using my empowered Vox box.

"It is our duty!" the Astartes answered in a chorus.

"What is your duty?" I continued the chant.

"To serve the Emperor's Will !" came the accepted answer.

"What is the Emperor's Will?" I asked curious.

"That we fight and die!" they proclaimed with perfect conviction.

"And who tells you who to fight?" I wondered, breaking their protocol.

Both Blood Angels turned towards me in confusion. "We go where we are called, Lord Lancefire." Chaplain Delos answered after a few tense seconds.

"And who calls?" I inquired in a softer voice, pointing at the bloody icons.

"The Emperor!" Brother Cassiel exclaimed like it was obvious.

"Of course, all Astartes will obey the Emperor. But Emperor Adam of the Imperium of Man, is not quite healthy these days. Other people give orders in his name. Sometimes, they order Astartes to do evil things, and yet they obey." I mused to myself, while opening the null box to extract my Rosette and the Warrant.

The engrams immediately subdued the brainwashed Astartes, who just stared at me like I was a divine messenger.

"Brother Cassiel, do you recognize the authority of these artifacts?" I asked gently.

"Of course, my lord. A Rosette means the bearer is an Agent of the Throne. The Warrant of Trade marks you as a Rogue Trader, speaking with the Emperor's Voice, outside the Imperium." the displaced Space Marine declared without any hesitation.

"What about you, Chaplain Delos?" I asked with a wry voice.

To his credit, the psyker Astartes fought through the mind-addling engrams to retrieve his bolter and shoot me in the chest.

The bolt vanished in a flare of white light. "You are not corrupted, Lord Lancefire. I had to check." Delas said in apology.

"Good! Always check. You are Astartes, the best of humanity. The next time I see any of you obey orders without checking, I will shoot you. Is that clear, Astartes Cassiel?" I asked the new addition to my team.

"...Things have really gotten so bad in the future?" the stunned Blood Angel murmured in surprise.

"A million times worse, lost Astartes. Now, report to the Biologis ward and have those xeno implants removed. Two curses are sufficient for any Chapter, we don't need a third to act up at some inopportune moment." I demanded in an angry voice, while storing the precious items back in the null box.

Another bolter round splashed the Rosarius shield, right in the direction of my armored pauldron. "Nothing personal, my lord. Only following orders." Cassiel said in a more relaxed tone.

"Keep that smile, Astartes. I hear the tech-priests enjoy testing pain resistance of their medical subjects. Always trying to prove the flesh is weak." I muttered as I sat down to clear my thoughts.

I had a campaign to plan, and a whole load of logistics to complete. Ruling an inter-stellar empire wasn't so easy

My eyes fall on a litany written with golden words on a flag, most certainly Chaplain's work.

"Where there is uncertainty, I shall bring light. Where there is doubt, I shall sow faith.

Where there is shame, I shall point atonement. Where there is rage, I shall show its course

My word in the soul shall be as my bolter in the field."

Nothing about reason or facts. Nothing about discovery or joy.

We might as well be Orks, they too have only faith and fury, after all. It even works, their Waaghs bending reality as they rage and plunder and destroy.

Fighting each other, the Orks become stronger, and then they attack others. It is what a branch of Inquisition fosters, the so-called Istvaanian. They encourage cults and rebellions, they poison leaders and create disasters, causing untold suffering and pain.

Only men are not Orks. There are more than enough enemies, xenos and demons plaguing humanity. And these cretins create strife and misery instead of helping the Imperium.

And like them, there are so many other cliques and covenants of Inquisitors and tech-priests and Nobles and Administrators, all fighting for more power, at the expense of the people they were supposed to protect.

I swear, if any Inquisitors show up in my own Kingdom, they will not live to attempt these kinds of machinations.

And then, there is the problem of the imported tech-priests from Stygies_VIII, a Forge World widely known for heretek inventions and breaking many taboos imposed by the strict laws of the Imperium.

Sure, a host of free-thinking tech-priests will be amazingly useful and productive, until they unleash some gene-tailoring virus or data infocyte or other 'clever' invention that ruins an entire sector.

I will have to speak with them about this. And likely execute a thousand of them, just to make a point.

Luckily, I do have a starting base already, and active support from Forge Antax. The rescued Catachan regiments, from Trazyn's own collection, and the women I 'saved' from Sotha will become the basis of my gene-stock, with more and more Blank genes injected from my descendants and their descendants.

The Hive cities are rather useless in this respect, even after vaccination campaigns and the culling of the underhives, but they will provide cannon fodder for servitors and organic parts for new Machine Spirits.

An hour later, Fabricator Yridann sent me a vox call, to make myself available in the medicae ward. I am by now quite familiar with these type of Mechanicus medical wards, for some reason.

Soon, I enter the biologic ward to find Astartes Cassiel mostly dissected and disassembled, skull open while the Necron scarabs were being extracted with surgical precision, then conserved in glass jars. Not even lids on those jars. Damn common sense, Biologis Clade!

Five Magi Biologis and the Fabricator Locum all nod at me in silence.

"This is very advanced xeno technology, Lord Lancefire. Someone has kept the subject under mechanically induced mind-control, with no discernible ill-effects. Copying and reversing the nano-filaments will take centuries at least." The Magos explains in a slightly excited voice.

"I see. And if these filaments were composed of nanites, and escape from those open jars?" I ask curious, pointing at their abysmal work security protocols. No wonder the Mechanicus keeps bombing labs from orbit to stop failed experiments.

The Magi waved their metal tentacles in panic, and soon find some glass lids for the jars. They look at me like kids caught playing with scorpions, and not yet understanding the risks.

"Next time, use a sterile warded glass operating box, with remote instruments. And have an incinerator prepared to shove that box in, if demons or metallic limbs sprout from your subject. You can follow a simple contagion protocol, being the smart and logical people that you certainly are, correct?" I mused out loud, reconsidering my projections and adding a few centuries to my plans, for the inevitable catastrophic lack of common sense of the Mechanicus.

"You are a beacon of reason, Lord Pef. What else could we do for better security?" the Fabricator asks, and keeps picking scarabs with his tools, and dropping them in another jar.

"A Gellar field over each Forge section and spire, forcefield containment barriers and melta warheads buried underneath each lab. Also, datasphere firewalls and regular promethium firewalls. Blackstone armor inside and out for each lab, and a million warships in orbit, just in case we need a rapid Exterminatus for the whole planet." I continue with a gentle smile.

"Isn't this a little exaggerated?" one Magos wonders while picking a Necron scarab and keeping it way to close to his bionic eye.

"That is the minimum necessary, my dear Magos. If that Necron scarab activates suddenly, then turns and enters your eye, you could unleash a lethal virus and kill everyone on this planet in a minute. Meanwhile, your body will slowly transform into Necrodermis and you'll become a Xeno. And then I will have to kill you, and burn the planet with Exterminatus. Wouldn't that be just great?" I asked in dismay and turn around to leave.

"... We will begin implementing the minimal security protocols, Lord Lancefire. Do you want us to harvest and clone some Black Carapace, for your next power armor?" the Fabricator asks, slicing off some of Cassiel's dermal organ and holding in mid-air.

I think for a moment and approve it. Arkio's armor would become much easier to control that way.

"And best power armor for my Sisters of Silence as well. Air sealed, auspex visor and spinal Black Carapace, with trauma packs in the pauldrons and three logic shields, each based on refractor, conversion and flare templates. Plus savant and transceiver brain implants." I demanded before I exited the medical lab.

Having my own Forge was providing some boons too, not just headaches.

Brother Delos awaited outside the lab, looking worried.

"Will Brother Cassiel be fine? They wouldn't let me inside, damn tech-priests!" the Chaplain complained in an offended voice.

Ah, that's because they let me inside the ward, but not him. Envy. Such a human emotion.

"He's perfectly fine. My Biologis Magi are the best in the entire Eastern Fringe." I said in relaxed voice. It was sadly even true, because they were the only such Magi in the Eastern Fringe.

"I will pray he makes a fast recovery. I also sent a warning astropath communique to Lord Commander Dante about that sorcerer, my Lord. Just in time it seems." he explained in a worried voice.

"Oh? That happened? Tell me." I asked a bit amused, while heading for the aircraft factory.

Sadly, it was much too close to the certainly-doomed biology lab. Orbital cleansing would burn my planes as well.

"We were lucky some of your Blank sons were inside the gene-seed reliquary. They managed to subdue the infiltrator, with only minor injuries." Delos announced and patted my shoulder in praise.

In a few minutes we entered the assembly lines, where servitors and low level tech-priests and enginseers worked on mass-producing my new army.

Pretty much every force in the galaxy had too few airplanes, which would prove my advantage. The advanced starfighters even the scary Hell_Blade made in the Eye of Terror, were produced in too small numbers. The same was true for the Imperium or the Eldar and only the Orks had cheap airplanes.

The enemy would have a hundred or a thousand starfighters, I would have a million cheap fighters. Quite possibly at the same total cost. Damn spacefighters were really expensive.

Sadly, losses would be high, due to laser weapons that took milliseconds to hit a target. Perhaps the new cheaper shields, gifted by my friendly Necron wizard, could be produced in the needed numbers.

We shall see.

The inspection took a whole week, from planes to tanks and small arms factories, to visiting the Catachans and convincing them of their new role as guardians of the Fringe, and of the defenseless women who fled the destruction of their homeworld.

I even promised them 10000 thrones prize for every 10 kids, and 40000 thrones for reaching 40 kids, which wasn't a usual gratification for a simple guardsman, even a renowned Catachan.

Somehow, the trip gained me plenty of good will, and a hundred old-era Catachan concubines willing to bind themselves to me and my clan.

Will have to thank Trazyn for his good taste, and the pleasant warm nights he gifted me.

From the Sisters, only Alana was eager to taste my body yet, but I was certain the rest will follow one day. It wasn't like they have many choices in men. Kinda hard to get close to anyone else when you were a Pariah.

A few months later, Sisters Hestia and Aleya did in fact give in to my charms and friendly demeanor and argued they might get a new Janice from our holy union. I was hoping the same thing, of course.

More medical tests and sample collection followed, fresh eggs and seed sent to Antax for more and better Blank Machine Spirits.

And then, the Conveyors and the Canticle arrived, with their own new problems.

I gathered all the Stygies high-priests in the great hall of the Mechanicus Forge, flanked by my Astartes and Silent Sisters bodyguards.

"Welcome to Forge Retribution, all of you. Now, before you get working on all those STC templates and damaged battleships, I will make things clear. You are not to conduct personal research. That's a capital crime in the Lancefire domains.

Secondly, while the rules will be a bit laxer, you will not attempt experiments on my people. No viruses or infomorphs or other mass-effect devices. You will not work on Warp technologies of any kind. Xeno research will be conducted in sealed labs on the outer moons, with melta bombs planted under those labs. You will follow quarantine protocols, and stay under Gellar fields at all times. I want to hear: Yes, Lord Lancefire!"

Grumbling Magi of all clades looked around for support. Perhaps they did want to experiment freely, outside the Imperium.

"This is not what we were promised, Lord Lancefire. We have brought many forges and servitors and rare artifacts with us, just to escape the oppression of the Imperium." a tall robed cyborg argued and many tech-priests around him supported him with voices or gestures.

"The focus of my Forge will be Warp-less technologies. Realspace ship engines, better reactors, mind-to-mind stellar range transmission, better personal weapons, better shields, cheap aircraft, cheap power armor and Blank Machine Spirits. That's for starters. Later we will begin assembling Reality Cages around my worlds, to prevent any Warp emissions from interfering with civilization, from Warp Storms to Ork Waagh fields or Tyranid Silence. I don't really care about other types of projects, nor will I fund them. Everyone who agrees, bow down and take a pledge." I shouted as hard I could.

From about 3000 tech-priests, less than half agreed. "Good enough!" I muttered, while flicking my left glove with a shiny crystal on the backhand.

The recalcitrant Magi vanished in my tesseract, leaving only the more pliable ones.

I was certain I could trade them, for something of value.

"I am certain we will have a great future together. Welcome to Retribution." I announced while passing among my new tech-priests while they looked around a bit stunned.

"Another miracle, my lord." Chaplain Delos said while watching me with glowing eyes.

I could only sigh, and hope it would be enough

With the increased number of tech-priests, and their extra forges and servitors, completing the first orbital dock took only a few months, and we began manufacturing the new Necron-based reactor and ship drive, using the new and fake STC patterns we have discovered aboard the derelict battleship.

We called them Macharius-pattern, because that guy was now a Saint and thus less likely to arouse too much suspicion.

Brother Cassiel was reassembled successfully by the strangely effective Biologis Magi, without the Necron mind-control scarabs, and expedited to his homeworld of Baal to donate his knowledge and gene-seed to his weakened Chapter.

Meanwhile, Forge Antax worked hard to upgrade our Baneblades to the Doomhammer-pattern with twin Magma lances and atomantic reactors, and converting the Leman Russ tanks to Volcano Lance variants.

It took much less time and resources than building a new superheavy war machine, and with Flare shields the Doomhammers would be twice as durable now.

Our destroyers have all finished converting to the Los Angeles-class, with 30 torpedoes in a vertical cell, and the corvettes followed the upgrading queue right now with a 20 torpedoes cell, because they were smaller.

The Litany and the Hymnal, as well as the Dominator-class cruiser and the new Mercury-class battlecruiser will take much too long to upgrade, and so they remained in factory specifications, only adding the improved auguries and a lot more point-defense weapons.

As for myself, between coordinating construction and making babies, I worked with the two Fabricators on the Nova shells we had, trying to modify the schematic for a Nova mine.

For all our efforts, the best we could achieve was something akin to a slow torpedo, sheathed in layers of ceramite and asteroid rock.

Wasn't ideal, but I did have my tesseract to deploy them in advantageous locations. For other people and our local defense, they would be much less effective.

And then, the first transport of blackstone from Mandragora arrived right on time, and we could really start upgrading most of our installations and ships with Warp-resistant armor. Only 10 centimeter thick plates of blackstone, because we had a lot to cover.

Necron ships were made entirely out of this stuff, and were amazingly durable, but we were thieves and scavengers and had to ration our resources.

We did have enough adamantium to cover the battleships in 10-meter-thick armor layers, and we will probably do that, once we had strong enough reactors to allow those ships to still move.

One mass-conveyor was sent to Forge Ryza, containing a few new STC templates, a melted adamantium hull recovered from that Space Hulk, plus enough blackstone for thousands of power armor plates and a dozen Eldar derelicts from the siege of Sotha, and even an intact Eldar cruiser, without prisoners.

I was sure the Fabricator will appreciate the gift and start upgrading the conveyor into the fleet carrier I had envisioned. I even 'found' an ancient STC template of an Odysseus_Class_War_Galley retrofitted for carrier operations, both parasite-type system-ships and starfighters, plus torpedo cells and landing bays for troop transports. The new carrier had 10 Gellar fields, and 4 void shields, because it would carry a valuable fleet inside.

Another Universe-class conveyor departed for Triplex Phall, though without blackstone, because they were mining from Mandragora right now. Mostly adamantium-made hulls and Eldar derelicts.

In exchange, I requested one more Nova-Cannon armed cruiser and another armored regiment, because I did have many kids in need of a good ship. And if the same fleet carrier could be converted from the conveyor hull, even better.

My Blank daughter Andrea was still a cadet pilot, but she boarded that conveyor to return as a cruiser Captain. It would take years til she returned, so she had enough time to finish her command courses. She also had an Astartes bodyguard and 2 companies of Catachans, if she eventually wanted big strong kids with razor-sharp reflexes.

The frigates were recalled to Retribution to receive our first locally made conversion into missile frigates, with 40 torpedoes ready to launch and 40 missile launchers each. They did have a heavy lance and 40 lascannon and 40 point-defense multilaser batteries as well, but that was mostly for moral support.

I wasn't planning to fight anyone at that close range, but better to have them than not.

Next year, we were ready for the Warp-less engine's first test run, using the big Ork Terror-ship as a test bed.

Our last conveyor was still being prepared, its hull split open to allow the next engine to be installed. But only if it worked.

Nobody expected the Ork derelict to survive, not even myself. That poor hull had suffered so much under the Ork disrepair, and then after getting bombed and boarded by my troops, that everyone expected it to fall apart in mid-trip or something.

Instead, the tech-priest in command and his servitors, made it to Illevar and back in 3 weeks, without entering the Warp.

Twice as slow as a good Warp current could take you, and a hundred times better than the worse currents.

And most of all, it was reliable! The Gellar fields only kept minor ghosts and echoes away, without the constant assault by demons or Enslavers.

Possibly 1000 times slower than the Eldar or Necron could travel, but this was only the first flight. Starfighters could fly 1000 times faster than the first aircrafts, and in time we will have faster spaceships.

This called for a big celebration, and the Silent Sisters agreed unanimously. The ship kitchens provided foodstuff and drinks for a dozen people, my cogitator provided non-stop victory hymns, and we got to taste all. In fact, we locked ourselves in my Canticle apartment and came out a week later, very drained but very satisfied.

I was pretty sure both Atarine_Hestia and Tanau_Aleya got pregnant during the celebration party, while Alana was months pregnant already. She did get to taste me first, after all.

The troops on the ground were being ordered to muster for war, those of them in rotation for deployment. We wouldn't leave the Forge defenseless, because that's how bad things happened.

The conveyor soon received the new engine, and a fleet of 1000 system-only corvettes was loaded from Antax, in exchange for the first Warp-less ship.

And so, we departed for Badab, just in time to intervene in the worst massacres.

The Canticle and the Mercury stayed behind, because they formed the backbone of our domain defenses now.

Instead, we had 20 Los Angeles destroyers and 3 cruisers as escorts for the Icarus fleet carrier, which carried inside enough ships and troops to win a small war.

For example, it carried five Catachan regiments, all mechanized and armored. My own troops were not bound by the regulations of Astra Militarum, which allowed only a handful of Sentinels per regiment. I could have 1000 walkers, and I did. And mine had arms too.

I could have 1000 Laser Weasels and 500 Multilaser Hydras and 100 Missile Manticores and 50 Lance Leman Russ tanks and 20 Doomhammers per regiment. And I did.

A normal Cadian armored regiment has 30 Leman Russ tanks, one Baneblade and only 5 Hydras. And no air support. Makes you wonder how they still stand.

I had 40 thousand drones and ground attack fighters, and 4000 interceptors. Not all that much yet, but they were homemade.

Training 4000 of my Catachans to become fighter pilots continued during the trip, which required lots of savant implants and math lessons, beside simulations and cadet lessons. Luckily I did have a cadre of cadets and officers to do all the training for me.

Of the Silent Sisters, one of each was deployed in the cruisers' Gellar generatoriums, to keep Warp accidents at a minimum, just like they did on the Inquisition's Black ships.

We emerged at Badab in the middle of an Astartes-vs-Mechanicus fight, Navy and Mechanicus ships under attack by the Astral_Claws, having gone traitor due to their Chapter Master having fallen to Chaos, and the idiots following orders without thinking.

"Destroyers, support loyal Navy and the Mechanicus vessels. Cruisers, free to hunt the Astral Claws' Strike Cruisers. Icarus, launch the fleet!"

"Navy and Mechanicus ships, this Rogue Trader Pef Lancefire with private fleet support. We will move to intercept the traitors." I announced on the Vox channel, just as a few Karthargan trade vessels began taking heavy fire from Fury starfighters and Strike Cruisers of the Astral Claws.

The Mechanicus ships had Forge Ryza symbols on them, while the Navy cruisers were part of Battlefleet Karthargo, which had possibly come to assist collecting taxes.

"Lord Lancefire, you have come at the right time! And that Icarus conveyor can surely carry many corvettes..." A Ryza tech-priest with Biologis insignia appeared on the pict-screen.

"Your Fabricator on Forge Ryza does have the same STC template, esteemed Magos. Surely you must have seen your shipyards working on the Odysseus-class fleet carrier?" I asked wryly,

The Magos blinked and checked something on his console. "Oh. That's what it was. I admit I don't pay much attention to what the other clades are doing. These renegade Astartes refused to pay their gene-tithe and even fired...and now destroyed an Administratum ship." he commented astounded, as a merchant vessel of the Karthargan blew up under sustained fire from three Strike Cruisers.

Well, now it was war. The traitors fired again on the other Administratum trade vessels, and perhaps got lucky to hit something vital, as more and more exploded, curiously at the same rate as my plasma warheads teleported towards the enemy.

I directed 30 corvettes to attack the Lufgt_Huron's Battle Barge, while mentally priming a plasma warhead for teleport.

Just needed to get closer...which took some time with the lumbering fleet carrier.

The traitors also had another Overlord-class Battlecruiser like the Canticle, 4 Grand Cruisers and a Ramilies Class Starfort known as Canaan's Eye, which would be rather useful too.

I just needed to make the ships run, and then capture them, without witnesses.

I could also use my troops to quell the rebellion and conquer the Starfort, and claim it as war loot. This confiscation of assets was a rather common occurrence in the Imperium, but I didn't have enough Space Marines to win over the Astral Claws fair and square.

They had used the stolen gene-seeds to mass-produce more Astartes, 20 times more over the Codex limit.

Well, the extra Astartes should sell quite well to a certain collector of historical artifacts plus nobody knew yet how many Astral Claws there really were.

More warheads will be needed to obscure the forensic investigation that will follow.

Playing with my gloved fingers on the command chair's armrest, I began doing just that, kidnapping Company after Company of illicit Astartes, while my ships created a wonderful smoke screen of torpedoes and missiles.

"Blood Angels! Ready five assault squads. Prepare to teleport on that Starfort. I need one fort, for my capital." I ordered with a light voice, like it would be a really easy fight.

With only half a Company of Astral Claws, instead of five, and with a dozen warheads exploding in critical areas just as the torpedoes struck the thick fort armor, the starfort fell quite easily indeed.

Having complete superiority with the new Rosarius shields and blackstone armor plates, my Blood Angels plowed through the traitors, just as a battalion of Catachans and a hundred tech-priests began teleporting to secure the fort.

Just Huron's Battle Barge had 1000 Astartes on it, which began vanishing into the tesseract labyrinth as torpedoes began striking the barge in huge volleys.

The vessel remained drifting and listing, and more Blood Angels and tech-priests teleported on board to secure our prize.

Seeing this, and deprived of their leader's commands, the other Astral Claws vessels began speeding away, fleeing the battle. However, the Astartes on board vanished mysteriously, as did the vessels once the Warp rifts opened.

Was I cheating like a Necron Overlord? Sure I was. Even using the exact same technology, though without temporal manipulation or galactic range teleport, because I didn't enslave a C'tan to my will. Not yet.

The Navy cruisers caught courage seeing the battle won, and soon advanced to bombard the Astral Claws positions on the surface, supported by my destroyers and interceptors.

Of course, there were 10 thousand Astral Claws on Badab, which didn't manage to die to orbital bombardments, getting rescued by a mysterious force with dimensional tesseracts at his disposal.

The Serfs and the Aspirants kept fighting of course, and so I began deploying my Catachan armored regiments and my air power, with the system corvettes providing pin-point lance orbital support, or torpedo volleys on Void shielded fortresses.

A thousand corvettes had 20 thousand torpedoes, which was more than enough to crush any fortified position.

The Mechanicus vessels also began dropping skitarii and battle-automata on the surface of Badab, forcing an even faster victory.

I didn't wait to see the result, taking my cruisers and the destroyers and departing at speed towards Iblis. There was a Mars battlecruiser there I needed to capture.

The conveyor will be needed to supply the ground troops, and had a thousand torpedo corvettes for defense. It should be fine.

"Blood Angels, do not let anyone else board my Starfort, except the Forge Ryza Magi. Same for the captured Battle Barge."

"Understood, Lord Pef. Good hunting for the traitors!" Chaplain Delos replied from my Starfort.

Installing warp-less engines on the fort should be possible, as it was big enough. Perhaps too big.

Same for the Grand Cruisers, which were just a bit too small, for the current Necron drive. Maybe after tinkering with the drive design a little.

It wasn't my urgent concern though.

Only confiscating as many ships I could, from this Badab_War.