40 Thousand Reasons

Chapter 30: Shard

"This is a xeno artifact" the Fabricator concludes with a single glance.

"And I, am an Inquisitor of Ordo Xenos." Rose declares proudly and shows her Rosette for a whole second.

Then a tense silence lasts a minute, the two minions of the Imperial Aquila holding a power contest with invisible meanings and methods.

The sign of the Imperium is a double-headed eagle, one head for the Emperor and one head for Mars, the original Forge World. These two are lower on the scale, but still act as if there were two eagles, instead of just one body.

"How many bodies does the Aquila has?" I wonder out loud.

Both of them glance at me with annoyance and aggravation. "One body, with two heads." The fabricator allows in sad voice, then spills some sanctified oil on the stasis chamber. Still a priest, right at his heart.

"This is the device Primarch Guilliam has used to form his Imperium Secundus, and illuminate Ultramar in the Warp, some ten millennia ago. Right now it is focused on Mandragora, the capital of the Necron Sautekh Dynasty. Thus, the Tyranids flock to it, drawn by the psychic beacon in hope for rich biomass worlds." I explain politely, then I focus my mind and use the mental wifi to continue. "It has more abilities built into it. Like exchanging messages at distance, and even teleporting people."

"What distances are possible? What about the Shadow in the Warp?" he asks in a hopeful voice and turns again to examine the device.

"As it is now, about 100 light-years. At least a hundred times more, when installed into the original location, but that place is toast right now." I answer with a tiny shrug.

"I can speak with my acolytes through the Silence, Archmagos. And I normally can't even lift a page if caught inside the Tyranid shadow. So it's not my psyker power." Rose admits with softer voice, and start pouring tea for everyone.

She had this null box cylinder that she uses to keep the tea at just the right temperature.

The Archmagos also tests the tea, dipping a sipping straw into his cup. "Very well. Do you at least know what species made it?"

I hesitate for a second. "Either the Old Ones, or their enemies, the C'tan. Either way, it has a C'tan shard as a power source." I explain in a soft voice.

Both of them recoil visibly, because even a fragment of a God is still divine, and thus dangerous.

"This is much bigger, like you said, Lord Pef. But a stasis field will not contain such a thing." the Fabricator mutters among sparks and chants.

"This is merely the dialing console. The C'tan is still on the planet where I found this device." I say a bit more confident. Knowledge is power, and I had bits that nobody else knew.

The Mechanicus priest hums in binharic, and holds out a few devices to test the ambient atmosphere. "No radiation, no Warp emanations...not that I expected any, so close to the Gellar generator."

"Yeah, the board uses some kind of empathic mind-link. Perhaps similar to a Blank Machine Spirit. But alien or not...humanity needs to create something with the same ability. Sector wide communications, and not going through the Warp."

I proclaim pointing at the shimmering blue field, with a Sounding Board inside.

"Copying the device would be heresy." Rose says in a colder voice.

I know, damn woman. Shoot yourself in the head as well, because thinking is heresy too.

"Copying the device is impossible anyway. Humanity lacks advanced science and bright minds, and most would just take a warhammer and smash this console just for fun. The cogheads could help, but they lack common sense and would likely awaken a C'tan out of curiosity." I mutter in a fit of despair.

The Fabricator almost argues back, before standing down and trying to look innocent.

"So, what will you do?" the Inquisitor asks me in a worried voice.

"That's between me and the Emperor. Out in the Fringe, I speak with His Voice. And with this device, he can speak to me as well." I conclude the meeting on a harsher tone.

Rose raises a finger to object, then turns towards the stasis field in reverence. "I suppose it can work. But the enemy would notice and come after you. Not to mention the priesthood and all the High Lords."

Yeah, I don't gather troops and ships for a deck. "I suppose those corvettes are mine, Fabricator?" I ask rhetorically.

"Only half, Lord Pef. I'm now less inclined to part with such a potent defense, especially if my Forge World embarks on that Blank Spirit quest. But we will build more. You will have thousands more in a century." he says in a pleading tone.

Half is still good. "Lady Inquisitor, you can take command of the fleet and the Overlord, and we'll meet at Estaban." I tell my Rose with a heavy heart. I'd prefer to be in command from the start, but Estaban might fall til then.

Soon enough, the Litany departs for Forge Tigrus, where another fleet should be ready.

My cruiser seems a bit empty now, without the Inquisitor and her retinue, including my mother.

I have Ludvaius, that's true. But Gyron is gone and so is Minoris. Most of the bridge crew and all the regiment officers are new, the old ones being promoted or dead.

Wentian is quite happy though. "An Overlord might be a bit smaller, Captain. But it's new and modern and has speed. We need speed, because we are always outnumbered."

I kinda agree. Even with upgrades, a Grand Cruiser would be slow as hell. And I lack psykers to increase that speed via Warp magic. Plasma engines are much safer and reliable than a psyker...unless that psyker is also a Blank, like my daughter Janice.

It is possible I'm also a psyker?

"It's not, Lord Pef. You're as weak and fragile like any human." my Astartes friend replies for me.

Wait, I said that out loud huh?

"Is your implant working right, my friend?" I ask the space marine while he stands behind me to watch me work on the holoscreen.

"Oh yes. I'm recording everything right now. This is a great tool for mission reports." he explains in a half-joking tone.

I sigh inward and think what to prepare for Forge Tigrus. Another Sentinel, with a lascannon instead of the cheaper autocannon, a better auspex sensor and increase the capacitor size a bit. Now the mech walker could act in anti-armor role as well as sentry and recon. Still has the armored blinds, because claws and bullets hurt.

Another variant is better armored, including a sealed cockpit for driver and gunner. Iridium-tungsten plates, a Power Shield and a small plasma reactor, all increase cost a few times, but now the Retribution-pattern Sentinel can match a weak Knight in durability. Plus it could be operated in any atmosphere, even toxic or in vacuum.

Perhaps Tigrus could make a thousand of them for my armor regiments, even if nobody else orders them.

Another gunship, a sort of attack helicopter but held by anti-grav engines, with a twin cockpit, also armored in iridium and shielded, with a quad multi-laser turret and two lascannons under the stubby wings, as well as twenty Hunter-killer missiles, in retractable pockets.

The Astra Militarum lacks air support the most, something incredible for me. They have spaceships and space fighters, but little in the vein of atmospheric ground support.

I decide to designate it as a Retribution-pattern grav-tank STC template. Perhaps then the Imperium will allow Generals to order these machines as tanks instead of aircraft.

We arrive at Forge Tigrus to find it under attack by Eldar Corsairs, although the world has thousands of fast corvettes for defense so the Eldar can't really find a weak spot.

I launch my space fighters and even arm two of them with Vortex missiles. The Eldar may think themselves illusive and protected by holographic fields, but the two pilots are my Blank daughters, training to become ship officers.

The Augury long range scanner marks the Corsairs as the Balestorm Avengers, a pirate band usually plundering the Eastern Fringe.

"Approaching an Eldar Cruiser, warhead released." Finona Lancefire announces on by vox bead, as she banks the fighter away and speeds to maximum.

The Vortex missile isn't nearly as strong as a torpedo, but then Eldar warships are not very durable.

They rely on their Void Dreamers for navigation, which wouldn't detect a Blank pilot or sense their intentions.

The warhead's sensor locks on the cruiser's engine. A flash of violet light, and the front half of the cruiser drifts on, while the engines have vanished into the Warp, along with the engine room and the solar sails on the back.

The corsairs immediately start fleeing from my fighters, and soon vanish into the void. You better run, alien scum!

"Well done daughter. All fighters, maintain protective cover. Lance batteries, target the Warp rift and fire till it's closed." I command as I lean back in my Captain chair.

We're fortunate enough that no Demon Champion was around on the other side, so we escape without too many invading demons crossing over.

The lances keep firing for an hour, until the spinning gateway pops like a balloon.

A few assault boats with servitors and techpriests depart to secure the derelict. As it happens, Eldar ships mount all their advanced weaponry on the front, and thus we capture all of their weapons. I bet Forge Tigrus will love a few of them.

"Captain Lancefire, you have returned, in the nick of time" A familiar, female voice speaks from the vox channel.

Oh, it's that Fabricator Locum, or the XO of a Forge World.

"Glad to be of service, Fabricator. We should meet and talk. My place or yours?" I ask with a faint hint of flirting.

A long silence follows, which means something. Anyway, I still have to wait for the priests to...

"Heavy resistance on the cruiser...request support..." a crackled transmission emerges from the void box.

I turn toward to my Scythe Astartes, who were nearly bouncing up and down in excitement. "Go have fun boys." I tell them copying my Rose.

Their Captain smiles politely. "I will stay this time. Rookie, you lead the squad. For the Emperor!"

"For duty!" they answer in a manly chorus, then all run towards another shuttle.

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