Chapter 1: Retribution (1/2)

”Only the insane have strength enough to prosper. Only those that prosper truly judge what is sane.”

0001101010011110000111111

My savant implant must be acting up, for some reason. Hopefully it is only a technical glitch, and not something else.

The else could mean something much worse.

Something that money, or thrones as they are called here could not fix. Like a demonic possession.

Fortunately, I know I must have Blank, like I vaguely remember choosing during my build. Before I was sent here.

My father is rather amused at my so called ”Blessing”.

For a Rogue Trader being born as a Blank is a boon, unlike back in the Empire. And if my children should inherit this trait, our position will become even stronger.

Warp incursions would avoid the clan, and thus keep the ship safe. Safe-ish.

Not everything that wants to kill you is a warp-spawn, after all.

And here, everything wants to kill you.

Rogue Traders are a special type of Imperial citizen. They receive a lot of freedom and privilege, based on a Warrant of Trade, which is basically a privateer license to explore and loot outside the Imperium. There are thousands of them, and each has a different agenda, area or preferred method. Some act as missionaries, conquistadors or mere bulk traders. Others deal in xenos tech and slaves, or exterminate xenos to sell their lands and technology.

Some grow beyond a single ship and conquer entire galactic sectors with their own private fleets.

Others steal and pirate on the Imperium, or worse they deal with cultists and demons and thus are often killed by Inquisitors or Astartes, or the very demons they trade with.

”Augur telemetry confirm the planet sustains life. The missiles heading our way confirm this as well.” the sensor station girl spoke with a faint trace of irony. Linne Joana Decima. A cousin, if some steps removed. Pretty girl with short black hair, like most of the crew. Hair is hard to keep, in the void.

Also, a potential concubine, should the Lord Captain wish it so. And on this vessel, he speaks with the Voice of the Emperor.

”Turn ship to port. Lance batteries target the launch sites.” my father orders in a calm voice.

I look at him with curious eyes. A tall, heavy set man with glacial blue eyes and a power armor of dubious provenance. He is a Conqueror, a build that emphasizes as guessed, war. Conquering his own merry kingdom, among the distant stars in the Eastern Fringe.

Our ship, the Litany for the Vanquished is the epitome of a war vessel, armed to the teeth, and the teeth armored to hell.

I suspect it has started out as a docile and pleasant light cruiser, before whatever Favor my grandfather traded with Forge World Antax was returned in a plethora of advanced tech and upgrades to every possible, and a few impossible systems.

Like a choir of tech priests detached to our ship, forever. Lance batteries that would put a heavy cruiser to shame.

An armored battalion and a grenadier regiment, all equipped and provisioned by Antax for the next 1011 years.

Time has a different value around here.

Windows tint as spears of light start flashing, each of them sufficient to obliterate a city or a meter of adamantium armor.

Soon enough, our lance guns evaporate the ground missile launchers of the natives, and probably any nearby cities.

There is no Geneva Convention in the 40k universe. The Tyranids would likely eat the entire convention as a snack.

Then eat the whole world and keep going.

In fact, they did just that, on Okassis. Hive fleet Kraken ate whoever didn't manage to fly away. And in this galaxy, you need to be rich or powerful to have a ship.

Well, one able to travel the Warp at least. There are in-system ships that are much cheaper and easier to acquire. You don't even need a Warrant of Trade for those.

I have one myself, so I know. Technically, you could call the Mona Lisa a shuttle, even if it's larger than a passenger airplane back home.

And armed and armored by default. Anything without weapons and armor is only a snack for this evil galaxy.

”Captain, the ground 'skaks' are human. Shall we conquer this world in the name of the Emperor?” the XO, Master Swedros, asks rhetorically.

Of course, we will. We don't carry all those tanks and grenadiers for a pleasure cruise. Their purpose is to fight and die and make us rich. Richer.

And if the Emperor is merciful, we might find another relic or ancient tech that we can barter with the Mechanicus for.

Best guys in this corner of the galaxy, the tech worshipers. As long as you 'gift' them nice stuff.

With a metal tentacle waving at my father, the bridge priest signals he has begun his own part. Data and signal warfare.

A somewhat analogue version of ECM.

I don't expect the poor natives to rise to the challenge anyway. This is the 46th planet we are pacifying this century.

The Eastern Fringe is rather filled with old era human worlds, mostly devolved into barbarism of some kind.

In fact, missiles or other advanced weapons are rare. Maintaining old stocks is difficult, and inventing new stuff almost always leads to suffering. Eternal suffering sometimes.

”Going back to my work, Captain. Please call me when the landings begin.” I say politely and nod to my father.

The grizzly warrior smiles proudly and waves me off.

He knows I don't like orbital bombardments. They might look clean and neat from orbit, but I've seen the results afterwards. Charred buildings and corpses are not that glorious.

As I slink away and salute the marines guarding the armored bridge door, I run another diagnostic on my implant.

”When you decide to die, remember to give the enemy the same honour”

11000111000001

Oddly appropriate this time, and a sign it's not a mechanical malfunction. Those neuron filaments forming the biological part of the implant are becoming sentient.

And possibly stealing data from my own brain. Not sure if that's a heresy or not.

Most likely it is. Everything not by the book is heretical after all.

And for good reason, as it happens. Machine Spirits are actually human souls, cloned and chopped into bits, then used as conduits and processors instead of the worse variant, the Abominable Intelligences.

The demented A.I. that always, always, always try to genocide everyone. Not that I blame them much.

For those not Blanks, exposure to Warp and it's inherent dangers must be like living in Hell.