Captain Teresa Lancefire was a bit unhappy. Sure, she did mess up a little, but it all ended up quite well...why was Father so upset?
And this ferry mission to Terra, in command of a mere cruiser was way below her status as the (former) Captain of a Blackstone Fortress.
Vaedrax wasn't too happy either, as he had been kicked out and replaced with a pretty girl. Although knowing her father, that was his usual style.
As for the Custodes, he was considered valuable cargo, and not to be allowed to communicate or otherwise interfere until they reached Terra. As if her orders even reached the superhuman's ears.
He was quite interested in her special cargo destined for Mars, 42000 young people, 2000 of them girls. All of them Blanks, yet none of them of Lancefire blood.
"Why did Pef Lancefire gather so many Blanks and sent them on this ship?" the Custodes asked, much too curious.
"None of your business, esteemed cargo. You should return to your designated quarters." she growled at him, already annoyed.
"Esteemed, am I?" the man muttered as if surprised.
"Less and less so, I admit" she admitted with a shrug.
"... Do not get fisted by a Deathwatch Dreadnought..." she heard the Custodes mutter to himself as he drew away, hopefully heading to his rooms.
"Contact, vox transmission! Imperial codes...older ones." her cousin at the vox station announced in a professional tone.
"Isolate, trace and log. Reference code origin and date of issue." she commanded with a frown. They wouldn't stop anyways, but perhaps some information could be traded further.
A minute later, the report came back. "Origin Seer's_Rest, Solar Segmentum. We will reach cut-off point in 31 minutes. ETA to Sol System 19 hours, 33 minutes."
"And?" she asked with a calm voice as she searched known data about this world on her MIU. Last imperial census: around 12 million people, Medieval World, many superstitious psykers...already sounded sketchy.
"The date of issue, last logged M39.71. Codes are still valid...but..." her cousin spoke with obvious suspicion.
"Yeah. The Imperials do not have a good record about cancelling compromised codes, or even noticing. It's a honey trap." Teresa decided in a second.
"You are obliged to render aid" a certain voice interfered. Of course, the insufferable Custodes had nothing else to do!
Teresa turned and measured the deadly Adeptus. "No. I already have orders. And you are still getting in the way." she proclaimed in a harsher voice, then glanced at her Tech-marine brother. Given that this cruiser was a Lamenter ship and not part of the trader dynasty, the tech-marine did have the ultimate word. And perhaps the means to enforce his word.
"The shipmistress is always right, Shield Captain Kalluin. Be advised, I am authorized and able to pacify you!" Tech-Marine Patrocles Lancefire spoke in a flat voice, not even raising his eyes from his auspex station.
"We shall see..." the Custodes growled at took half a step towards the steering station, only to vanish in mid-step. The next second, he re-appeared in his room, naked but with a single finger of a Power Fist inserted in his tight rectum.
"...I did warn him" Patrocles whispered only to her ears. So he did have the means.
Teresa smiled thinly. Whatever her brother did, it wouldn't be pleasant. "We could take a look though. Around 100 AU wide?" she asked gently. If Patrocles had a space crystal now, they were indeed quite safe.
"Only if it doesn't delay our course, Captain Teresa Lancefire. My own orders include you as well." Patrocles answered with a sad smile.
Of course they did. She messed up and placed Father in danger with one hasty decision. Now she was on thin ice.
"Going autistic. Vox channels closed. Las-comms set to receive only. FTL comms closed. " Teresa decided in a minute, then proceeded to direct the Machine Spirit to block the known attack avenues. .
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"Understood Captain. New trajectory set, passing by Seer's Rest at 100 AU." the helm cousin spoke curtly.
As the cruiser drew closer, the hololith screen began to show the system, and its strangely-quiet space lanes. Passive data only, of course.
"2 battlebarges, 3 strike cruisers, 7 frigates. Possibly under cammo. Armor make indicate Alpha Legion" Patrocles said in a soft voice, still staring at his useless auspex station.
"And the planet?" she asked with a sense of dread. So many Chaos Marines...
"Mostly dead or poisoned. It still rains snakes." Patrocles said in a tighter voice. Angry, most likely.
"Sad." she whispered as her eyes grew colder.
"Engaging now. Exterminatus warhead deployed. Atomic warheads deployed. " Patrocles declared with his eyes closed, and seemingly in pain.
The system gained a new sun, and several radioactive shipwrecks as the Lamenter cruiser left, leaving behind a worthy funeral pyre.
"Resuming standard comms. Best course for Terra." Teresa said with a glance at the vox station.
"Nothing on vox now, Captain. Logging set of codes as confirmed compromised, A39." her cousin continued in a melancholic voice.
Nobody on the bridge cheered, although they just destroyed a sizeable Chaos Warband and purged a future Daemon World.
"Deploy one Astartes warning beacon! We only have 19 hours left to our destination." Teresa commanded with a sad heart.
"No wonder father always said things are very bad in the Imperium. This is so close to Terra and still..." Patrocles muttered with clenched fists.
"Maybe our cargo will help." Teresa claimed in a more hopeful voice.
Nobody even bothered to agree from politeness. A hundred people on the bridge, and they all saw the Imperium was crumbling.
---------------
Leaving a pair of spent Inquisitors to sleep on my bed, I rose and made my way to the Demiurg, trying to finish negotiations for more Ion tech STCs.
"Advanced Prospect weapons are locked under Grimnyr access. You don't have psychic powers, Pef Lancefire." the damn automated Fane countered my request.
"I know the Tau have Ion_Cannon tech, and Railguns too! I even fought their ships! Did they get Grimnyr codes?" I growled at the stupid cogitator spirit.
"It is psychically and logically impossible, new Kin. Without barrier-tech access, nobody can open this section." the Fane proclaimed in cold logic.
Wait...did he mean that strange staff? 'Valerian, I need you now!' I spoke in my son's mind.
'...Now? I mean, let me get my armor.' Valerian muttered half awake.
'No need, just grab the staff.' I demanded as I located him with the tesseract, and promptly moved him dozens of kilometers inside the Black Lament, and right at my side, still in his pajamas.
"Father! This thing?" he asked a bit more awake, holding the warding staff to my face.
"Just step on this platform and open the Manifold. The Machine Spirit is reluctant to open some files without this staff." I said a bit tired.
So much effort to find the Demiurg were controlled by a psyker.
Luckily I was a bit smarter recently. Killing that Vashtorr guy had been quite a boon for my mental ability.
'Barrier-tech detected. Kin relation detected. Lancefire dynasty, Valerian Lancefire. All hail the new Grimnyr!' the Fane Demiurg proclaimed in a glorious tone.
'So...what now?' my Librarian son asked confused, staring around at the Demiurg mental vault.
'Find the damn Ion Cannon!' I growled a little. I missed my mouse and keyboard. Really!
Hopefully Teresa used her Luck to obtain some advantage while on Terra, while Patrocles grabbed something nice while escorting her. A tesseract was a big investment, but my C'tan wolf did not need to stay in that cage. Might as well have it produce some profit factor for the dynasty.
As for the 42000 Blanks I sent to Terra, it was a long-term investment. They could train Blank Tech-priests or Sacristans or pilots, or maybe melt them into boiling iron. The Emperor might take them instead, for some genial project that won't end in explosions.
One thing they could not do, was bear gene-seeds.
So it was a test, in the end. The Imperium could benefit greatly from 40000 Blank men and 2000 women. Or they could squander the gift for short term gains. Either way, I win.