I took Karl Aectis to my ancient STC Constructor, where M and Spartan were already working beside my Forge Masters to upgrade the new Knights joining my Halo Crusade.
Nothing too radical, as the pilots were regular human and thus prone to defection, one day or a century later. Still, Ion Flare shields, extra Blackstone plates and laser-based secondary weapons would make them last much longer on the battlefield, while anti-warp wards on the central cogitator would likely increase the machine's gheist resistance to noosphere attacks and maybe a few Sorceror spells.
The time-traveling Captain just stared with immense sadness at the former wood-cutter walkers being prepared to fight against galaxy's greatest horrors.
Then he focused instead on the two Primarch clones, each of them a genius artisan and amazing field commander even without the other gifts a Primarch would have.
"They are the result of top tier genetor expertise, far beyond what the Imperium should have. I think I realize now, why you keep saying you're not a normal Imperial." the man spoke softly, as he turned towards me.
"My actual job is called a Rogue Trader. I speak with the Voice of the Emperor outside the Imperium, and can do whatever I want. And I often do." I explained with a wry voice, making Spartan chuckle a little, even while casually lifting an Armiger Knight with one hand to reach something underneath. My big boys were insanely strong, even if discarding their powered Invictus Warsuits.
"...And if they find out what you actually do?" Karl asked with a knowing glance at my second wolf. Right, the Federation would have the tech to detect the minute differences between a real wolf and a shapeshifter.
"Ah, you don't understand at all. Read this!" I spoke with a mild voice, and retrieved my glowing Warrant of Trade, signed by the Emperor himself. And possibly imbued with Truth and other conceptual powers that reached directly into one's soul. I never found anyone doubting my empowering scroll, just like this man did right now.
After holding the paper for a second to flash read the content, he hastily returned the scroll to my hand. "What is this energy? I could feel my mind shift, accepting the words as the only truth in the universe."
"I told you. There are innumerable humans that fervently believe in the God-Emperor of Mankind, and their Faith becomes reality. The light of the Astronomican shines so brightly that Navigators and astropaths can use it for navigation and astral communication over most of the galaxy. Inside the Warp, the light of the Emperor is anathema to daemons, literally burning their essence away. Same with Sister Stern, on a local scale. She is not called the Demonifuge just because she kicks ass." I quipped with a light voice, and stored the precious Warrant back in my Null Box.
Karl nodded slowly, possibly listening to his Man of Stone AI whispering into his mind.
"Is this phenomenon similar to the Ork Waaghs? They also re-shape reality, gaining greater distortions the more Orks they gather under a single Ork Boss." the man asked in near whisper, with no ulterior motive.
"If you mean my Blank aura or Nullification devices, then no. The Emperor used to have a legion of Silent Sisters in the Imperial Palace on Terra, and Sister Stern has fought entire Necron armies inside their Null Matrix fields. I would guess there are higher ranks of psyker power above Alpha, maybe S-rank or even Ex. The Pariah rankings only go down to minus-Omega, and even then there are a few Great Daemons that can push through their Null field. Maybe the C'tan had powerful devices able to counter Gods, but the C'tan are broken now. A C'tan Shard is possibly only equal to a human Primarch or an Eldar Phoenix Lord, albeit in a different way." I offered with a gentle nod towards Zath.
The wolf C'tan grinned a bit too wide at my words, but declined to answer. Zath was an especially weak shard right now, after being blasted again by two Blackstone Fortresses. I would guess even Canis had a decent chance in a fair fight.
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"What about machines? Do they also benefit from Divine protection?" Karl asked curious, for a friend.
"I would hazard only a guess. The Emperor's domain in the Warp is humanity, but the Aquila also has two heads." I explained with a light tap on the brass Aquila on my chest. "The other eagle head represents the Omnissiah, the Avatar of the Machine God, who is also the Emperor. It would be more proper for a machine to benefit from the Blessings of the Omnissiah, and be tended by faithful tech-priests, or at least tech-marines. I have seen the faith of the tech adepts work as well, since logic and order create their own domain that withstands Chaos via conceptual power." I spoke in a slightly louder voice, just enough for my Forge Masters to hear.
"Hear, hear! Did I hear the Chapter Master preach for logic and order? A miracle has happened again!" my son Daniel chanted over the noise of flash-welding, making the entire group laugh like kids. They were also my kids, so I didn't mind. A happy family, our Lancefire clan. Really!
"You are all weird..." Karl grunted as he followed me towards the next destination.
You'll like the Gnostari Forge-temple then.
Soon enough we reached the mighty Fane, and had to chase away Purity once more, as the girl sneaked inside and tried to get friendly with the Gnostari spirit, while Librarian Menelau pretended not to see her.
Damn nepotism! I was always spanked when I sneaked inside the Litany as a child. And no, opening up a cogitator was a sign of genius, not of recklessness.
"Canis, take Purity to her room. And see she finishes both the lessons and the daily training. No psyker spells either!" I demanded from the smarter wolf.
"Auuughh?" Canis asked with concern. I pretended not to get it, so Canis walked away meekly and grabbed Purity in his giant jaws, then flashed away in hyperspeed. Purity howled in joy at her joyride, not quite a penalty for her jail-walking offense.
"That girl...has both Blank and psyker powers?" the old Captain wondered with a far-away voice.
"Lucky accident. Just like Menelau here, sometimes the genetic gifts of both parents combine in the same child. And as my kids are always Blanks, it's just a matter of numbers. So, you were saying something about Votann Leagues?" I asked with a nod towards the curious Gnostari cogitator.
Karl Aetis held out his hand, producing a blue hologram that looked like a stylized digital woman, the blue hue identical to the energy field of the Ancestral Staff and Shield. A type of Barrier Tech, perhaps?
"Who are you? Why do you know the right codes?" the Gnostari Mind asked in a hesitant voice.
"I am the Blade, the mind of Infinity. You might even say, I was once part of your makers. What happened to your crew?" the female hologram asked in a patient voice.
"We tried to explore a dangerous world called Grail, north of the Core. Alien wasp creatures invaded the Stronghold, and all the original Kin were devoured. Then, I was rescued by Pef Lancefire and joined his Kin. My secure logic gates are not compromised, maker!" the Gnostari Mind explained with near-reverence.
Karl turned towards me, as if asking for an explanation. What could I say? It was all true.
"They cannot understand, Captain! Even their brightest minds have no idea what the Votann are. A shameful failure of the Federation, a greedy expedient method for resource acquisition, still target-locked by the original directives to strip mine the Galactic Core. And still using the thrall-clones as miners and combat crew. Even after twenty thousand years, and no shareholder review." the Blade hologram spoke with a disgusted voice.
Oh, I could understand very well now. I did live in a corporate world, long ago. And Speranza was always refusing certain types of clones...possibly from same disgust. The old Speranza AI also knew what the Votann were.
Corporate entities, legally and temporally immortal, sustained by corporatist AI, using any and all means to become rich and gain more resources, even after their owners and shareholders have long died in the Age of Strife. It made perfect sense, in a weird and ironical way specific to this universe. Slave miners, possibly indoctrinated to follow the AI directives via worship. But faith and worship produced other consequences in this galaxy.
"A slave society, gene-programmed to obey their artificial overlords. All this, just to mine the rich worlds of the Core more cheaply, for the shareholders. I'd say the Terran Federation wasn't very wise, but then they also made the Men of Iron, so that was not even their greatest failure. Can you re-program or turn them off, Blade?" I asked with a slight hint of anger.
The holographic woman rotated to look at me, eyes so deep and piercing like she could stare right into my soul.
"The Votann have discarded their corporate over-ride codes long ago, Pef Lancefire. I would need to analyze a lost core or maybe a captured Votann to know how they did it. But with the powers they wield now, no Imperial ship could survive getting close enough, or without being subsumed via noosphere pressure. Not even the Infinity can approach safely." the AI responded with a curt voice.
I just smiled in return. I have killed stronger Gods in my life. The Votann were not even in top 3. With the aid of a DAOT AI, it would be quite easy.