Soon after, I joined Speranza and the Blade in our secret hideout to begin producing the Sunfire reactors, for now as power sources for adamantium fusion on the Forge Worlds and for the big forts in my possession. While the three Blackstone Fortresses did have their original power crystals, those were meant to only power the Immaterium Beam, and not also the plethora of Macharius and Ares engines, weapon batteries, Nova Cannons and other power hungry Imperial systems.

The Sunfire anti-matter containment bottle was ridiculously large, to match a sun's output. Even larger than my Singularity battleship. But, following the STC template and arranging the required minerals made constructing one fairly easy. Barely a few times more complicated than a planetary core, and twice as large. However, the energy output would allow me to use the relic Armageddon Guns I obtained long ago from the Planet_Killer .

Those 8 guns awaited for a long time until I found something strong enough to power them, or at least a reactor without a Great Daemon inside.

"Use only two Armageddon guns on the Faithful, Lord Lancefire. And two guns for each of the Blackstone forts. Immaterium Beams are not very useful against the soulless Necrons." Heph advised me as he observed the first Sunfire bottle come into existence with my worthy efforts.

Smart guy, my new Lord Administrator. I glanced at the hologram of the Blade, who frowned for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "We could project power in four different quadrants this way, Captain. Remember the Leviathan."

Okay, I get it! Four different battle-groups with a single fort at their center. To guard the four directions at once, if necessary.

My eyes were swimming in tears by the time I moved the bottle inside the Faithful, so I fell asleep in my plasteel throne. Next day, I felt fresh enough to finish the upgrade and bring the Faithful to full strength, including the armor plates and all the engines.

"Go and rest for a few days, Captain. Spend time with your children..." the Blade urged me as I was ready to start with the next bottle.

So I did. So what if I wasn't yet all powerful? I just needed more time.

I went to visit Illevar, and spend time with Lady Serena for a day. She fell asleep for the last time, but happy to have seen me. Then I visited the Blank Hive, finding the quiet and clean place a bit removed from this universe, just like I was. Normal Hive Cities were always loud and dirty, full of smog and grime.

Yes, even my Domain had dirty places, because humans are dirty beasts, and billions of them produce more garbage than the same number of Orks.

However, there was almost no crime in my cities, not with the Orwellian surveillance of the Obsidian Auguries. In general, there was a single city level reserved for black market and suspicious types, and most dealers were Obsidian agents anyway. Best way to find infiltrators and fugitives was to already be there when they arrived.

Sadly, most playgrounds were kids playing at becoming soldiers or sisters, although the chance of that was quite low. Unless a desperate conscription order was imposed, there were quite strict requirements to join the first ladder of power. But children can dream if they want.

I skipped the manufactorums and other factories, which were necessary but not pleasant to visit. Instead, I went to visit the higher classes, merchants and nobles and the big cassino station in orbit. I would guess not many of them had ever met a Custodes, as Valerian was quite the show, and some daring nobles even tried to chat him up, to my amusement.

And then there were a few Inquisitors and their agents, skulking around for secrets. I mean, they came to the right place, as there were plenty of secrets here.

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"Lord Lancefire! I am Inquisitor Jolinne, Ordo Xenos. This is my Kroot bodygu..." a young woman approached me, only to lose her xeno guard as Valerian dropped his huge polearm on its head, by accident.

I poked the woman and moved her to my tesseract, for later. The Kroot corpse, I stored for Velayne and her dissection table.

"Young and brave, this Inquisitor." Valerian mused with a wise voice.

"They always are. But few old and brave Inquisitors, I would bet a throne on that." I answered as I stopped in front of a slot machine and dropped a throne coin on a whim.

I already moved on, when the siren of a big jackpot wailed in my wake, and a torrent of coins burst out from the stupid slot machine. I didn't stop for the meager change, though.

"Stupid Lancefire luck." Valerian grumbled as I went to get a drink at a fancy bar overlooking the planet below.

Luck, huh? No such thing.

You made your own luck, not just waited for something to drop in your lap. The bartender turned his sleeve for a second, so I would notice the blackstone card.

"Slow day in orbit?" I asked and took a sip from my Ultramar wine.

"People wearing faces, but not the right memories, my lord." the bartender answered with a cryptic X formed by his fingers. Ah, the Greek letter Chi. Who knew a classical education would be so useful, 40000 years later?

"Either Simulacra or Replicae . Plenty of them around the Imperial Palace." Valerian added with a bored voice.

"Well, it seems my capital has gained some importance too. I just wanted a few days to relax." I grumbled and gulped my wine.

A ghostly wolf phased near me, making Valerian's hand clench on his polearm. "Yes, my brave wolf?" I asked in a mild voice.

"Another voracious eater, Captain. Changing bodies as it advances in ranks." Lash answered in a soft whisper.

"Find it and add its signature to the vambrace, my friend. Wouldn't want to stick my lance into one of those by accident." I commented with mild humor.

"Certainly not by accident! That would be a scandal." Lash answered with gentle sarcasm and faded away.

Valerian waited patiently until both our vambraces chimed as another signature was added to the etheric detector. "Such a cheating device. Where is the skill to recognize an impostor?" he complained in a Custodian manner, then moved at speed to bisect two innocent looking nobles and flick out the brains of the original owners of those faces, from their open stomachs.

Quite useful anyway, even if a bit cheating. 'Type 7, simulacra.' the etheric detector pointed at a pretty woman in a red dress, who watched me from the bar just a few meters away. Looking exactly like my dead wife Serena. Most likely a dead relative of hers.

I swear, the universe was fucking with me. I raised my glass towards her, and she moved closer with a big smile. "My lord, you must be famous around here. I am Lira Rinne..." she spoke in cursive High Gothic when Valerian's polearm sliced her in half.

At least my wife won't be here, to see me massacre the impostors who killed her family. Rinne-Dolean was the former ruling family on Illevar after all.

"Victor, my boy. You received the upgrade?" I asked my son and the Governor of Illevar.

"And a dozen alerts from my wife too. Is this another Alpha Legion invasion?" he answered in a calm voice.

"Different people, same methods. Martial law, and hold all ships. This should be over in a few hours." I muttered and held my wine glass to be refilled by the helpful bartender.

"Glad to have you back, my lord. You work fast." the Obsidian agent spoke with a reverent voice.

I was on vacation, though. Visiting my family. Must be my luck.