40 Thousand Reasons

Chapter 5: Fringe

For the next barter, I prepare larger things.

An X-ray laser auspex pattern that needs a ship sized reactor to scan the void for enemies. Also, tri-barrel laser cannons, that have larger range and damage. Also fire faster by 10 percent, due to less over heating.

As it happens, Metalica was building a large order of Cobra-class destroyers, at least 20 hulls laid down and completed to various degrees.

I will receive the first 2 of these torpedo boats when they are ready, probably in 8 years.

Then I load up three more Baneblades and another fighter squadron, piloted by cyborg servitors. A thousand more hunter-killer launchers, but no missiles.

Still, I get gifted 20 new torpedoes so it's all good. My torpedoes launchers are full again, which makes me feel safer.

We wait a month for the first X-ray auspex to be produced and installed on my cruiser, as well as 100 hunter-killer launchers, mostly on the ventral side, to serve as close defense against boarding shuttles or for planetary pacification.

As I leave, I notice an empty dock being prepared to construct smaller ships, with a single adamantium beam for reinforcement.

"You think the Fabricator listened?" I wonder out loud, looking at the view screen with hope.

Gyron walks beside me and measures the incipient shape of the corvette sized skeleton.

"Just over 1 kilometer long. Barely enough to support Warp travel. The longitudinal beam will provide support for high-G maneuvers and acceleration, as well as some resistance to ramming. But only one dock, so it's merely a curiosity test." the Magos answers after a minute.

I sigh and turn away. Changing the traditions of an ossified empire is not easy. But even a small ship is a start. I would have a hundred such ships around every planet if I could.

Then every single invasion would need to be much bigger, which would give the Navy warning and time to assemble their battleships. That means 100 million ships for the Imperium, so it's not very likely.

I now have 13 Baneblades or variants, enough to create a Heavy Armor Company for my regiment. Ideally I should use 20 of them for better results, but Baneblades don't grow on trees.

Then, I'll have a dozen Leman Russ tanks and Chimeras and Hydras for support and air cover. I am happy with what I have right now, once my tech priests install hunter-killer launchers on every armored vehicle and void fighter.

And once my escorts are ready, they will receive upgraded sensors and missile launchers as well, in the hope of providing protection against fighters and bombers or assault shuttles.

There is a pirate empire I know about, from the files left by my father, and while they have perhaps a dozen ships and hundreds of void fighters they are not that dangerous if we're prepared. If I catch them spread out, I can defeat them in detail.

But if they have some relic battleship, even half operational...then it would be quite bad.

I need to be bold and aggressive however. A Chaos incursion might turn those pirates into demon worshipers, and then I wouldn't have anything to salvage. At best I would push the desecrated ships into a sun, or something.

At worst, I would get my crew eaten by a Demon Prince or such. My clan has always avoided corrupted worlds, knowing their limits and aiming for easier conquests.

There are also xenos out there, Tau and Banghesi and H'rur and many others.

The Forge worlds would gladly examine their technology and reward us greatly, but I don't have a Crusade behind me.

Three years have passed in the galaxy while we cruised a few Forge worlds and acquired weapons for the next conquest.

At Antax, my gifts are ready. The new Sword-class frigate, and a dozen transport ships, loaded with food, and construction equipment of many kinds.

Also, the armored regiment with a thousand new tech priests of lower rank, that will maintain and repair the vehicles.

We stay here a few months, while everything is getting up armed and upgrades, and new tank crews trained.

The frigate came with only a skeleton crew, a Navigator, 2 astropaths and perhaps 1000 tech priests, engineers and servitors.

I split off my own officer corps and appoint a new Captain for the Requiem for the Vanquished.

As it happens, this guy is a half-brother from a different mother, with some experience in boarding and other void combat. Probably my replacement, if I failed to please my father for a worthy successor of the Warrant.

Captain Veryon Tertius, has brown hair and blue eyes, and looks vaguely similar to father. Which is probably normal.

The Requiem flies around the system for a test drive, fires the lance batteries at a dozen asteroids and doesn't explode on the during testing, which is great.

We depart for Retribution, and the rest of the upgrades are finished during the warp travel.

Myself and Gyron monitor the new Gellar generator, and record every fluctuation. The Warp radiation can be measured somewhat, with a kind psychic reactive sensors of the Mechanicum, but the mechanical generator doesn't drop below the safety limit during this trip.

Still, it only takes once. When demons and apparitions flood the ship in a second of integrity failure, pretty much everyone on board will get corrupted, starting with the Navigator, then the astropaths, and then everyone else.

I might last the longest, thanks to my Blank aura, but that won't save me from manifested demons with claws and tails that can rip ceramite to shreds.

"Magos Yridan-Serge has indeed given you a quest, Captain. Because the new ships will be vulnerable to the Immaterium, more than normal, he wants Blanks for officers. And possibly Blank tissues for the Machine Spirits." Gyron reveals when I do ask.

Damn it. I'll need hundreds of concubines, to obtain thousands of Blank officers for those ships. And clones for organic parts...if Blanks can be cloned.

I need to ask Decima what to do. Using my bed skills to save the sector from being eaten by Tyranids? And resist the Chaos as well, now that I think of it.

Then again, the Emperor had 20 sons given the same task...

Every Forge world has tiny quirks and updates hidden in their construction, and a couple of them are made on Mars. I magnify the schematics to the maximum and power up my implants.

Extra memory and thinking speed will help. A minute later I reach the memory limit and leave the deep dive.

Then I close my eyes and enter the trance-like meditation I learned from my mentor.

Superimposing the designs, and figuring out what changed and how. Some modifications make no logical or structural sense, moving parts added for religious or symbolic reasons, side sponsons that expose the tank to huge danger for minimal extra firepower.

Energy conduits for laser guns on the outside of the main armor, and hundreds of other design flaws. In my opinion anyway.

They possibly changed the original design for easier access or due to lack of spare parts. Maybe battlefield repairs.

All these tanks have seen combat and carry the scars proudly. Even if that scar is now a weak point and would likely result in crew death the first time a large shell or other weapon hits the damaged side.

The Stormblade, with its plasma cannons is the most advanced model, and could theoretically wear down a Titan. Once I dissect and learn how the thing works, I might upgrade all the Baneblades to that model.

The Fellblades are nice, their Accelerator cannons have a dual role by design, both vs infantry or armored enemies as needed.

But nice is not enough, because the ammunition is expendable, and I cannot produce the advanced shells in the ship's forge.

Instead, I will try and learn how to make Atomantic arc reactors like they have, and replace their cannons with the plasma cannons of the Stormblade.

This will take decades anyway. Advanced relics are not easy to copy, even by the largest forge worlds. And the tech priests are really smart, even if trapped by ritual and tradition.

One Fellblade is set aside for this task same as the Stormblade. The Heavy company will have to do with 11 super heavy tanks and 11 Leman Russ Vanquishers, and the Vanquisher other is set aside too, for reverse engineering.

We return to Retribution to find it much the same, although most of the dust from the bombardements has settled and all the injured or sick people have already died. Evolution at work, some might say.

Lack of medicine or care, I argue with a tiny voice inside.

The transport ships begin unloading their construction machines and servitors, and thousands of tech priests begin rebuilding the planet for me.

We set up a dozen small forges to repair and produce more equipment, and my faithful bridge tech priest is nominated Fabricator General for Retribution.

As it happens, here I speak with the Voice of the Emperor, and as such I am obeyed. It is a great feeling, I admit.

Religious people make great subjects, especially when they see you as their prophet or holy spirit.

Because the Emperor is not only the temporal leader of the Imperium of Man, but also their God.

Sure, poor Adam doesn't do much rule these days, being entombed in his Golden Throne while the Nobles and Inquisitors do things in his name, much like I am.

And lastly, my wife Decima learned of my Antax Fabricator quest and agreed to help, bearing my children and selecting concubines to bear more.

She is now expecting our first child, and the Navigator says he will be a Blank, while gritting his teeth in displeasure.

"Lord Duras, a Blank child will not be exposed to the temptations of the Warp. And I expect psykers will have a hard time reading his mind or future. Isn't this great for a ship captain?" I ask him in a mild voice.

The Navigator sighs. "Perhaps you are right, Lord Pef. I wouldn't wish on anyone my own gift and torment." Staring into the Warp to navigate the ship must be harsh.

We drink a glass of expensive wine, and then return to our own duties. I am training a new cadet class of clan kids, both male and female.

Daily lessons are then applied on the frigate and the transport ships, while they patrol the system and practice scans and live fire on asteroids or comets.

I aim to produce a thousand new officers in a decade, because I will get new ships and will need people to operate them.

The armored regiment trains on the ground, pushing the tanks and personnel carriers to the limit, and finding what can be improved, both on maneuver warfare or assault tactics.

Defense is much easier, but if you need to use tanks in defense something has gone wrong anyway.

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