40 Thousand Reasons

I immediately focus my attention on the half-finished Grand Cruiser, being swarmed in tech-priests and servitors, cranes and grav-lifters and more unknown machines.

Already looks grand and imposing, and one of its lance batteries even tracks my Litany as we approach. Still needs more work, but at least some parts are operational.

Half of the armor plating is peeled off, and I can see the extra internal bulkheads and plasteel anti-spalling reinforcement being welded on the inside. Just as promised.

The other cruiser has been moved farther into the asteroid field, barely detectable under another swarm of Mechanicus machines. It appears completely dismantled right now, probably for deep scans and reverse-engineering like I first suspected.

I'm still debating between naming the ship as Liturgy for the Vanquished or simply the Vanquisher.

The latter name is kinda grand, and deserves at least a battleship, so I guess it will be the Liturgy. A proper Imperium name, pious and modest, yet still menacing.

"This is Pef Lancefire, are we allowed to dock with Forge Metalica?" I send via the vox channel.

"You are welcome, Rogue Trader. Set course for dockyard Eta-09." a polite but mechanical transmission arrives in a minute.

Meanwhile, I check the other ships in the system. At least a thousand corvettes, the regular Navy kind, and the same Mechanicus defensive fleet, which has grown a bit, with another battlecruiser and 20 new destroyers.

They are all holding station in a starshell pattern, almost like preparing to be attacked. Makes sense to be cautious, given what happens at Estaban, and many other Forge Worlds in the Imperium.

In fact, Forge Worlds are amazingly valuable and critical to the Imperium of Man, because they are rare and also the only producers of ships and advanced technology.

A clever enemy could cripple humanity simply by targeting a dozen important Forge Worlds.

Of course, many of these enemies try and try again, and sometimes they succeed.

I would keep at least 1000 ships over every Forge World, just for this purpose, but there aren't enough of them.

Soon enough, I meet the Fabricator, and he comes with two other high-ranked tech-priests as escorts.

"Well met, Archmagos." I say politely and nod in respect.

"You've grown younger, Lord Pef. Someone did you a favor?" the Fabricator asks while changing focus on Ludvaius.

My guard has also received an injection boost, and savant brain implants, as well as upgrades to his bionic eye and the power armor. It seems they also help control his Rage, which would be a valuable gift if the raging maniacs would accept it.

I have a feeling they'd prefer unleashing the beast to an implant that forces logical thoughts and organizes memories on data stacks.

I just sigh. "People on Estaban were very kind. So, I aim to help them if possible."

"Always heading into battle, even with that flimsy light cruiser of yours?" the other Fabricator asks in a curious voice. An electrical discharge swirls around him for no reason.

Possibly one of the psyker Magi. He still has human eyes, so I'm not certain.

"I do hope for a nicer ship, Magos. Like the one getting upgraded right now." I admit with a sad voice. I would like a big powerful ship to cruise in safety and blast xenos with impunity.

But I have to earn it.

"How about...we give you an Overlord-class Battlecruiser instead?" the third tech-priest asks in a mild voice.

I don't know him, or what faction he might be from. But I can calculate conjectures quite fast. It's a savant thing.

"Forge Ryza?" I ask to make sure.

The Magos waves a tentacle politely and some chip changes tentacles among the priests. Damn it, they had a bet about me, isn't it?

"Yes, Captain Pef Lancefire. If you wouldn't come to us, we came to you. Hope you don't mind." the tech-priest chides me politely.

So I'm not the lowest rank anymore. Soon, the big wigs will expect I come to grovel in front of them too.

"And you waited here, because I had a relationship with Metalica for a long time, so I would return for certain." I conclude sadly, and they just stare at me like it was obvious.

Well, it's not, you big brains. I'm only human, if a slightly smarter one.

"What do you say, Lord Pef? Will you agree to trade us that Grand Cruiser?" the Ryza Magos demands a bit louder.

Okay. On one hand, that Cruiser isn't ready and won't be for a few decades. On the same hand, I want a powerful Overlord-class Battlecruiser. But on the last hand, why?

Something is hidden on this kind of relic ships. Something a Forge World would pay billions of thrones to discover.

"With a condition, tech-priest. Firstly, you announce the Navy about this gift. Then, when the Liturgy exploration is complete, you share with me what you find. Only the knowledge, not whatever object or creature interests you. And the name stays: Liturgy for the Vanquished." I pronounce in a final tone. Take it or leave it.

The two tech-priests consult each other via coded tentacle handshakes. "Agreed, Pef Lancefire. But only you...not guards or family. We might also require your expertise for decrypting ancient templates." he proclaims with another shower of sparks and currents.

"Fabricator, if I'm to take charge of the new Overlord, it will need slight modifications, for my comfort." I ask the leader of Forge Metalica.

He waves it off as unimportant. "You're a valued friend and ally of the Cult Mechanicus, Lord Pef. Come, let me serve you that sweet wine you enjoy, from Terra." the big robot priest commands in a metallic voice, and escorts me away from the Ryza priests.

Ludvaius has to wait outside this time, because heresy isn't healthy in the Imperium.

"You have found more STC patterns, Captain?" the Magos wonders after I sip some wine and think over my needs.

"Estaban has figured out how to build Blank Machine Spirits. Possibly with the aid of all those Biologis Magi that fled from Skapula. Risky, but very valuable, even if only for the Inquisition and Astartes. Mechanicus as well, since well...machines." I announce after a minute of polite silence.

He nods cautiously while he thinks it over. "Big risks indeed, going by that large Chaos invasion."

I just shrug. "The Immaterium poisons everything, Fabricator. Even Primarchs and their Legions have fallen. Yet, every species in the galaxy fights the demons, even Tyranids and Necrons. But unlike them, humanity and our machines are not immune."

With a blur of tentacles, I lose my hair, and some blood and skin layers. "It would be a great gift indeed, Lord Pef. But we'd need fertile females and infants for comparison and sequencing." he comments while storing the valuable cells in bio-containers and stasis boxes. Still no common sense, just like all the tech-priests. They just take, without even asking.

"I have them and I can prove they're fertile. On board the Litany. And there's something else. Even bigger." I whisper in a soft voice.

He nods and points discreetly at the corner of the meeting room. Ancient relics, machines and computer boards on various designs stand on display, glowing with data engrams and shimmering in bluish stasis fields. Something is there, but invisible for me.

I take out my dataslates and start unveiling the trade goods, taking care not to reveal anything incriminating.

The new Sentinel will get produced, as will the Krak Valkyries and the Metal Storm, my multiple missile launcher made from a cheap Chimera chassis and various Manticore designs mixed and matched to fit.

I mean, nearly any enemy would not like having a hundred missiles crashing on its units though Necrons would likely just regenerate and keep going.

It takes heavier weapons to defeat a Tomb World, and a whole Hive fleet to exhaust a Necron Dynasty, like I did at Mandragora.

Even so, the Necrons have survived, for now, though the next tendril of Hive Fleet Kraken won't have only a billion bioships, but ten times more. I give them even odds to defeat that, even with their ancient weapons.

Craftworld Iyanden keeps fighting the bulk of the Hive fleet, with very advanced technology and weapons. But their numbers are small and getting even smaller. An armada of Eldar Corsair struggles to cut heir way though and aid the Craftworld to save the famous worldship, which gives humanity some respite from constant raids and harassment.

Hundreds of human worlds are still in the way, as are Ork empires and many other species.

We need more guns, and fast. And we need ships to stop as many in space, before they reach fertile ground and start multiplying like bugs. Well, they are bugs.

The more advanced weaponry and templates will be reserved in small numbers for Astartes and other special privilege soldiers.

"I will depart for Tigrus next, Fabricator. Want to visit the Litany and see my children?" I offer innocently.

He does. And after another medical checkup, me and the Fabricator go to visit Rose and Justine, deep into the ship's vault. Justine keeps trying to learn how to use the Sounding board but keeps failing.

Rose has a small success, being able to locate her Acolytes and agents even across the sector. No mental communication yet, but it will come. She refuses savant implants, because some secrets might be revealed that way.

I'm pretty sure that if some Dark Eldar or Chaos Sorcerer gets me, I wouldn't last a day, so they wouldn't need to download memories or other such complicated procedures. Hot irons are scary enough.

Then again, I do have a squad of Astartes guarding me, a bodyguard that lives in my room, a whole regiment on my ship, and then a whole ship filled with guns and torpedoes.

I like being safe, what can I say.

This galaxy is quite dangerous, you know?