40 Thousand Reasons

Chapter 70: Cosmic Trade

During the next two months, I continued my exploration of the galaxy with the Pharos, trying to find interesting lore or valuable things. Also, gathering Eldar artifacts into my STC containers and simply teleporting the container just outside the Fabricator's quarters.

Those Forge Worlds that received me before, they now got a free gift from their Santa Clause.

There was a Necron vault at Pavonis, which of course drew in xenos of all kinds in the hope of getting released. Eldar, Tau, and Chaos were all gathering there for a fight.

"Trazyn, my friend. I see you have already managed to retrieve that Soulspear. It would be a shame if people heard how slow you are, about keeping your word." I quipped in the mind of the Necron Lord.

"Ahhh. Yes...the dataslate is ready. Also, those Space Marine Barges have been recovered from the sea of time, for that friend of yours. Where should they appear?" my scientist/entomologist asked curious.

I pretended to think. "Best place, would be in the asteroid field at Forge Antax. Or Forge Triplex Phall perhaps? Yes. Those guys have larger shipyards, and they even managed to defeat the latest Tyranid invasion. However, my new friend...if those scuttle charges go off, I will consider it a gift in bad faith. And we don't want that, poisoned gifts imploding a star somewhere, do we?"

Trazyn didn't reply for a minute, perhaps defusing the bombs just then. He might have forgotten about them.

"There! Just a slip in my memories, no need to be so upset, puppy stranger. You were saying about a C'tan shard somewhere? They are very useful, as you certainly know." he asked in a pleading voice.

"Alright! Let me check for an easy one. On planet Pavonis, the vault under that Tembra mountain, right at your doorstep. Better be quick about it, as Dark Eldar are trying to steal it just now. The gall on those knife-ears! My precious gift, stolen by those deviants! Can you imagine that?" I asked in fake outrage.

"That is really convenient, this ability of yours. Do you need more ships, for your allies? That space hulk had quite a varied collection. Plus a whole Astartes Chapter for myself. I never said thanks, did I?" he replied, after a long minute of heavy silence.

He definitely liked my vortex spear gift though. Plus, unbound space marines were valuable, especially a whole Chapter.

"Spread them around, I think. Antax, Graia, Accatran, Gantz, Anvilus, Diamat, Ryza, Shenlong, Tigrus, Metalica, Megyre, Estaban, Incaladion, Dantris and Retribution. That battleship at the new Forge Retribution in the Fringe, yes. We can test the new engine on it, safely outside the Imperium." I declared while going through a mental list. Sure, a few of those Forges were not yet in the contact list, but muddling the waters would help too.

"Oh, quite a collection of allies there. And I assume you want all these STC templates found inside the derelict ships?" he wondered in a teasing tone.

"Of course, Lord Trazyn. In the engine rooms, for a lesser chance of accidental destruction. If the same technology appears on many Forge Worlds, it won't be suppressed and kept hidden. Traveling through the Warp is rather foolish, right?" I explained in my own teasing tone.

I could almost hear the mental snicker in Trazyn's mind. "I see. And with all these other slightly better ships, weapons and shields, your allies will withstand Chaos and Tyranids and even Orks...a little bit better."

"Indeed. Oh, there's an Inquisitor Barzano on Pavonis, dying of some Eldar poison. You can keep him, but I need his stuff. Not the Rosette though, I already have a few." I asked after scanning the planet again, with the Pharos.

It was really convenient. And how else to better watch how Trazyn constrained the C'tan Nightbringer. I might learn something.

Sadly, while Trazyn did move very fast indeed, the Dark Eldar Archon escaped in a Webway, and my krak grenades didn't do anything to him, a whole crate of them. Damn it!

I should have used a plasma warhead...oh well. Next time I will know. Archons are as durable as a Baneblade. At least I shredded his retinue.

Using a multifacet crystal held in his black necrodermis hand, possibly a tesseract, the Necron Lord twisted space and time around that C'tan shard and dragged him inside his special maze, with no real problem.

"I'll let you return to your collection, Lord Trazyn. I believe we're almost done with our trade." I said after Trazyn teleported back to his Monolith on Solemnace.

"Wait! A C'tan shard has a large value. Is there anything in my collection you might fancy?" he offered in a second.

"There really isn't, Lord Trazyn. Unless you're willing to part with your Blood Angel and the Catachan regiments. They would fit right in with my own." I mused to myself, while glancing around his immense vaults.

"All right! I will deposit them on that Retribution planet, outside the Imperium. Still too cheap, but you can't go back on your word, stranger!" he exclaimed victoriously.

"Right...it is too cheap. Oh well. Perhaps I can take that Dawn_Blade and give you another Enslaver bone. You could carve a thousand slivers from it, and bind them to your new Astartes. Jetpacks are too cumbersome, and mind-shields would be useful too."

I proposed and immediately teleported the bone in question, from my vault to the Pharos and then into his room. Defying gravity, the bone remained floating in mid-air.

"Hah! Enslaver bones for jetpacks! If your idea works, I will give away that useless chronoblade. Are you planning to chop some demons, for extra years?" The Necron Lord asked, possibly testing my origin and lifespan.

"I should be good for a few thousand years, Necron Lord. By then, I will either become someone great, or the galaxy will be torn asunder and devoured. We shall see." I concluded the pact, and closed the mind-link.

Then I just stared at the living-rock walls of the Pharos, still decorated with Astartes prayers and litanies.

Then I recalled that bit about the Canticle of Unceasing Service, a special blessing that could be bestowed upon weapons, to restrain the Red Thirst.

Hearth of Sotha, the Battle Barge of the Scythes had plenty of weapons in their sealed vaults, but they probably never opened those vaults. Because why use something, and not keep it hidden, till everyone who knew about them died?

I began emptying the sealed vaults, from Terminator armors to heavy guns and even exotic weapons. Better be prepared, right?

In an hour, I had my own vault filled with the Scythe relics, then I turned my eyes on Retribution, to check on their progress. A damaged Retribution_Class_Battleship called Macharia_Victrix had just appeared in orbit, and the Fabricator was hastily boarding it with all available tech-priests and servitors.

It was a rather nice fit, my Forge World's name and planet and the battleship class.

And by the name alone, this ship had took part in the Macharian Crusade, and might have Macharius tanks on board. Let me see...

Yes it did!

And plenty other war vehicles and fighters, most of them damaged.

Just as I was observing the events in the Retribution's system, three Universe-class conveyors arrived at the edge of the Sotha system, escorted by a small Navy fleet and another Scythes' Battle Barge called Honour' Might.

My Rose had returned, with reinforcements.

"What's going on here, my dear Pef? I explicitly recall purging the xenos here with Exterminatus. And now, I find a whole chain of forts, and a hundred more xeno vessels." she demanded forcefully.

"Isn't it better to capture their ships? I only lost a few Astartes, for all of this." I said in a teasing tone.

"... Then, is not so bad. So why are these idiots trying to get themselves killed?" the Inquisitor asked me, as if these Scthyes listened to me. Well, they did now, but not then.

"I convinced them to form a Deathwatch Company on our new Inquisitorial Fortress. Even got two Strike Cruisers donated to the cause." I replied a bit more meekly.

I didn't want her to start executing people...my people.

"Overstepping your bounds, way too much, Lord Lancefire. I will inspect the field and consider it." My Inquisitor girlfriend announced in a stern voice.

And so, I held out my hand and brought her directly inside the Pharos.

"Love you." I said with a grin.

"Idiot! I almost fried you. Only your Blank aura saved you." my Rose complained as she hugged me tight.

All was well in the world, with her in my arms.

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