When I woke up from my well-deserved sleep, I was half-expecting another genocide bearing my House name. It wouldn't matter much, especially if the Kreg cogitator Fane was captured and available for data-mining, after all.
Instead, my Inquisitor wife and a million tech-priests from my Fleet were deep into negotiations with the Kreg over my hastily crafted planetary data-core, with the stumpy cloneskeins of the Kreg providing a dozen complete STC templates, including stuff we already copied from other Prospect Fleets, but were not complete.
'Welcome back, Lord Captain. I had to improvise a little, but I think I managed to direct the Inquisitor on the trade path, while pointing her at the great threat from the Votann Leagues in galactic core. I would still recommend a greater intake of minerals and vitamins, if you continue draining stars with your strange personal Particle Excavator.' the Blade AI spoke in my mind, as soon as the MIU was on.
'Oh? I guess I wasn't as subtle as I hoped. The stellar mass drain was noticeable?' I asked while washing up and smothering Canis with my pats. Or vice-versa.
'...Most stellar objects would only lose as much mass during a massive coronal mass-ejection, which didn't happen here. My sensors are also more refined and advanced than regular Imperial ships have.' the Blade observed in a calculated tone.
"Wooorgh!" Canis warned me, just before I shifted to the surface of Klybo.
Of course you are right, Canis! I poked the C'tan shard with a data-spike and all three of us appeared on the surface, where a Bastion dome-field was keeping the acid sands away, while the Kreg delegation in their exo-suits were discussing over a holo-table with my wife and several tech-priests.
"Lord Captain, the trade negotiations are almost complete, awaiting only your signature." Lady Valeyne spoke in a majestic voice, while Semnai just nodded towards me.
"Rogue Trader Lancefire, your fleet has made a glorious discovery on this barren world. We were fortunate to intercept the news before the Cult Mechanicus had time to chop up and destroy the priceless Ancient Core." the Kreg leader spoke with a digitized voice, likely a cogitator-translation from his native language.
To my tesseract vision, his sweaty face and worried eyes were clear as day, since the exo-suit didn't bar my space gaze. The Kreg was afraid, and with good reason. My Crusade Fleet outmatched theirs by two orders of magnitude, even without considering the two big blackstone forts.
'Their predictive T-engine is stuck, and cannot predict you, Captain Lancefire. Also, these small humans are not as harmless as they appear. They have recently raided an Explorer Fleet and dug out an STC constructor from the hull of that Ark Mechanicus. Killed all the crew as well, while the metal was mined and stored as ingots.' Zath added with a careless voice.
I sighed inward. To be fair, the Mechanicus would do the same to them, if they could. Explorer fleets were not actually peaceful explorers, and more like aggressive aquisition gangs, willing to torture and dissect anything and anyone for their Quest for Knowledge. And the C'tan was pushing for another genocide.
I held my hand out and displaced the trade data-slate to my hand, then scanned the contents for anything of value. Adamantium and auramite fusion methods, Volkite tech with some science background as well, and several bits of Ion and rail-gun tech, with some anti-grav templates on top. My wife was a decent trader it seemed, if the Kreg were convinced to give up so much. But she wasn't a true Rogue Trader.
"Two problems, esteemed Kreg delegation. Nothing of this tech is truly valuable, not compared to birthing a new Votann in the new data-core. Secondly, there is the transgression with the Mechanicus fleet which you murdered, and stole their STC constructor. I propose a different trade now. Our own Grimnir will download your entire tech data-base from your Fane temple, and you return the stolen STC. In return, you still get the Ancient Core, and we don't murder you all." I proposed with a kind voice.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Yes, I was being magnanimous, but I was trying to save humanity not destroy it. Humanity as a whole, my own family next and only lastly the Imperium. These were my priorities and in that order.
And while the Kreg were a distant sub-type of humanity, they were still humans, even if misguided and indoctrinated by their AI creators.
"...Our Lord Grimnir would have to approve. I hope he accepts your mercy, Rogue Trader." the Kreg leader answered after a few seconds of tense silence.
"It's all the same to me. It's not like you can escape this system. Off you go, Kreg leader!" I said with a careless voice, then waved a gloved hand to return the delegation to their largest ship. See, that was proper Rogue Trading: take everything they have, and make them thank you for the privilege.
My wife glided towards me and hugged me tight. "I have much to learn, husband. I did a good job so far, right?" she whispered in my ear.
"Well, you did give me a Grimnir son, Lady Valeyne. Menelau better get every bit of tech in their cogitator." I congratulated my wife. "Zath, you make sure he does, and returns safely." I continued with a glance at the huge wolf.
"Grr. Wuf!" the C'tan wolf answered and vanished into his special dimension. 'I did find a large Ork sector up north. Fragmented under a thousand small bosses, but rich in souls anyways.' the C'tan sent, along with a galactic map and a hundred stellar coordinates, directly on my brain implant.
'Don't forget we need to obtain ownership rights over the Votann parent corporations, or my audit engrams on the planetary core will not have a legal basis. I propose we buy them on Prol_IX , the nearest Administratum seat and archive.' the Blade warned me in a soft voice.
The Blade AI was trying to be helpful now, and it showed. While I wouldn't trust an AI to make decisions for me, I was still human and tended to forget things, or at least ignore them by being stupid. An AI never forgot things though.
I sent over the data-string with the Ork planets instead. 'Once this matter is solved, I want to test the Eldar tech-virus on some Ork worlds. So I want a hundred different scenarios, using available units in the Fleet.'
'Trying to create a new doctrine to implement the anti-fungal weapon in the most efficient way? Only by using field-testing, instead of cogitator simulations.' the AI deduced at lightning-speed.
'The Orks are not really predictable, Blade. I suspect they were designed like that, exactly to counter machine logic like the Necrons would use. They act chaotically by design, which is why they can still conquer Forge Worlds despite their layered and logical defenses.' I explained calmly, while mentally transmitting orders for a few ships to assemble for a quick trip to Prol IX. We should be back in 5 days, unless something bad happened.
Hmmm. Make that three dozen cruisers and a squadron of four battleships with four Astartes Chapters on board.
This universe was always trying to kill me, after all. Better have 40 capital ships and not need them, then the reverse.
"I will conscript and deploy this Sector Fleet to the Ork hold as pathfinders, Lord Captain. We should have some recon data, by the time you return from Prol IX." Inquisitor Valyene said in a gentle voice, just before I displaced away.
'Don't give everything away, Blade. Valeyne is half-Imperial for now.' I warned the AI who was trying to be helpful a bit too much.
'And also Ordo Xenos. Humans are still predictable, Lord Captain.' The Blade answered in a cheeky tone.
I sighed inward. Damn AI missed the point completely.