Former Lamenter tech-marine Sollitus 'Rock' Lancefire stood on the platform at top of the spire aptly named Viewpoint. Sollitus knew he was chosen for reaching Forge Master rank, and expert tech-sorcist skills. A Fabricator for a Forge World had to be competent, after all.
"Make me proud, son! And never give up hope. We're a third of the way to our goal, so there's a lot more blood to be shed." his father said before the Halo Crusade Fleet departed from Idumea towards Belecane, and leaving him behind. Not completely alone, with several Blank sisters and their children, plus the Iron Core of Lorica Thalax suits and the Korps officers.
A pair of data-slates hang from his belt, one holding the STC templates he might need as the new Fabricator-Colonel of Idumea, and the other slate a host of maps and lore regarding nearby sectors and adjacent non-Imperial space. Most of that lore came from the Kreg Fane discoveries, of course.
Two of his sisters, Arielle and Remi were promised a Warrant of Trade as soon as a decent capital ship could be obtained for them, by 'whatever means' necessary. His father didn't care too much for Imperial laws, unless he benefited from them. They too had a pair of data-slates with lower grade STCs and mostly the same lore, plus an entourage of tech-adepts, Sisters of Battle and Lamenter Auxilia troops.
One of them might become a Rogue Trader in a hundred years or less, if the lore was right about an abandoned battleship at Endrite . Perhaps organize an Explorator expedition to that Feral World, along with a regiment of the Iron Korps and some colonists? There were still a hundred voidships chartered to import sacrificial serfs for Idumea by the former Fabricator, after all. Tests would reveal prospective new acolytes to aid his Forge World recover and grow, but the rest of the serfs should not be wasted.
As for the other sister, the Feudal World of Acreage was tormented by a pirate cruiser called Storm Walker and a rogue psyker under the name of Burning Princess . Pretty much a textbook aquisition for the Lancefire Clan. Maybe even create a Knight World tied to his Forge, if the local Nobles were stable enough to withstand the implants and the pressure of a large machine spirit.
"Fabricator, the delegation from the Sollex Admech Sect has arrived at the Lance Ignus cathedral, like you ordered." His Fabricator-Locus spoke a bit fearful from the elevator door. A decent tech-priest native of Idumea, eager to wash away his sins for the near-Fall of his world. Perhaps a bit too eager? No matter, in time all the current tech-priests will be replaced with new ones, either imported or mentally formatted right here with the proper indoctrination neural-chairs.
"Praise the Omnissiah, brother adept. Let's meet with our brothers in faith and see what revelations they have to share about the holy nature of photons." he answered in a kind voice. Who said a Fabricator couldn't trade STCs like a Rogue Trader? In this, Lord Captain Lancefire was right. Knowledge was to be shared and spread, if humanity wanted to return to the heights of the Golden Age. As for the Cult of Sollex itself, they would be very useful to the Iron Korps with their expertise in laser and anti-xenos warfare.
His red robes fluttered a little in the bellowing winds of the spire, as Sollitus turned to enter the elevator, revealing the Primaris battleplate underneath for a second. Sollitus steeled his mind, and recited his favorite machine-canticle to sooth the burdened elevator's machine spirit. Sadly, his own father never truly understood the Machine Cult, nor the meaning of a canticle.
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"You were supposed to tell me about things like becoming a Grimnir priest of an alien cult!" his Inquisitor mother admonished him in a harsh voice, tingling with a mencing psyker undertone. Regular humans would be paralyzed with fear, just from her Voice.
Menelau Lancefire shrugged off the psyker voice and just poked the Xenos cube at her hip. "That Necron Nexus is much more dangerous, mother. Especially with a C'tan running loose and nosing all over. And I don't mean our beloved Canis." he answered in a calm voice.
"Ordo Xenos, plus the operation manual. I have become rather competent using the first six runes." his mother declared proudly, tapping a few runes to produce a holographic map of their fleet, one Blackstone Fortress in front and the other at the back, with escort carriers in the middle and battleships holding the flanks.
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"You weren't unhappy when I extracted the data-base from the Kreg cogitator core, my dear mother." Menelau tried in a peaceful manner. Deflect, appease and endure. What else could he do?
Lady Valeyne frowned a little. "Those Fanes aren't powerful, not like these Votann I learned about. You saw the size of that Ancient core, I can barely imagine the mind inhabiting something like that! A Machine Spirit of that power, along with ancient tech to manipulate time and space, and mine out stars?"
Menelau nodded, similarly worried. "And this is why my father doesn't want to fight them directly. Most criminals are caught by tracing and investigating their finances, after all. The Votann are no different."
His mother drew out her Emperor Tarot deck, then sighed and stored it back in her Nexus. "Sometimes I forget He is not nailed to the Golden Throne anymore. I don't want Magnus waving his feathers on my fate."
Menelau closed his eyes, and opened his soul to the Astronomican. The difference was subtle, but for someone who knew the truth, it meant everything. Warp-engine ships would work much the same, since trade and supplies had to move for the Imperium to exist. The new Macharius engines were far too expensive for bulk haulers and far too large for frigates or smaller voidships.
Even the newest miniaturized engines could barely fit a cruiser, and while House Lancefire could afford to outfit all their capital ships with new engines, regular Great Houses might not even afford one.
"You could simply take a ship and go and ask Him, in person. Mother Rose will help you bypass the waiting line." Menelau proposed in a kinder voice. It was a bit strange to think about the Senatoris Imperials representative as a step-mother, but yet she was. Adeptus Terra, Rosalia Lancefire. Probably rubbing elbows with the Emperor himself at the dinner table.
And best not to think too much about his step-sister Janice Lancefire, rubbing more than elbows with the Emperor of Mankind. He imagined himself patting the Emperor on the back. 'Brother-in-law, save a good spot in Afterlife for me, when I die...'. Yeah, that would go great. His father might get away with something like that, not poor Menelau.
Lady Valyene considered his words for a minute, while praying silently. "It wouldn't go well, since Lord Lancefire has the Emperor's trust. And if a Crusade was sent towards the Galactic Core, your father would be the one chosen to lead it anyways."
Menelau nodded. Primarchs could fail. Had failed in the past, and quite badly. Instead, his father had invented the "Lancefire Luck" and all that followed. He knew the life story by heart anyways, since Librarians were the keepers of knowledge. And as a Grimnir priest, the scope of the knowledge simply expanded to AIs and STCs and all the wonders of the Federation.
"We worry too much, mother. Lord Captain never loses. And when he does, it is only to gain even more from that loss. Remember the hand." Menelau spoke while holding his left palm out.
"If you say 'talk to the Hand', I will punch that smug smile off your face!" his mother threatened half-seriously.
Menelau hugged his mother. "You'd break your wrist too. Durasteel Sinews..." he whispered in a lighter voice. Pef Lancefire would be the only regular human to get away alive from punching a Space Marine. It only added to his legend though, as did the 'Talk to the Hand' moment.
"Go away, idiot! And copy the data from the Kreg Fane for my Ordos." Lady Valeyne growled as she turned around and walked off in a rush.
'Can she have the Kreg data, Lord Captain?' he asked on the data-sphere circuit.
'Most of it, yes. Not the ships and treasures I'm keeping for your sisters, but the rest, no problem.' Pef Lancefire answered in a careless tone.
Stepping through the blackstone wall of the Fortress, a grey Fenrisian wolf turned to glance at the departing Inquisitor.
"Woooof?" the wolf asked in a wolfish tone, despite lacking the Rosarius collar of a real Space Wolf.
"I'm not in trouble, Zath. You might be though, when we reach the Galactic Core. The Votann must have mined many Necron Tomb Worlds, including the captured Shards. I wonder if they think your kind is tasty." Menelau answered with a shrug, then turned and walked away slowly.
"Uwuuu?" the C'tan wondered in a hesitant voice.