40 Thousand Reasons

While the Antax forge world is preparing their gifts for me, I decide to visit another Forge world called Graia.

It's pretty close as things go, 2 weeks of travel time and hopefully would result in more barter for ancient tech, perhaps even a few Titans.

Meanwhile, I try to spend more time with my officers and crew, even having meals together and discuss options for the future.

Decima proves to be a pleasant surprise, a free thinker and competent space tactician, coming up with a plan to overwhelm massed tyranid void ships with a massive barrage of long range torpedoes.

It's not a new tactic, but implementing it necessitates good coordination between our future ships, as torpedoes are not friendly fire.

My new enginseer bridge officer, called Sigma 099 or Signus, provides another tactic, blowing up the reactor of a disposable ship, like those transport vessels we're about to receive. The Navigator is not convinced, since opening the Warp might destroy some tyranid ships but release a host of demons or enslavers out into the galaxy instead.

"We'll prepare one such sacrificial fireship for the low chance of taking out a Hive Queen. If we get the chance, it would be worth it. Otherwise, no." I decide after a minute of computing and estimating risks on my savant implant.

Signus nods in acceptance, while the Navigator scowls at me like always. "At least you have some sense." the psyker noble mutters to himself.

Soon enough, we arrive at Graia, to find them preparing for evacuation. They had a diadem-like array of battlestations in orbit, arranged such that the entire Forge could move and travel to another system.

Well, such preparations would take years anyway, even with thousands of landers lifting their machines from the surface.

Another tense meeting, while I gift them a twin-linked version of my multilaser and an ultraviolet based auspex sensor. I simply replaced the normal beam of the LIDAR detector with a home made UV laser, but such a simple conversion has immense utility, as the auspex will now detect camouflaged enemies and many hidden troubles like mines or traps.

Then I deliver then poisoned apple, under the guise of having been used by our enemies. " My friend and mentor, Magos Gyron has deduced that those barbarians that killed my father might have used servitors or some kind of cyborg unit to target their missiles. No other way could have they been so accurate and able to home in on the ship and shuttles."

The Fabricator General freezes while he considers my words. Just like I do, when diving deep in the savant implant. "You mean, piloted missiles?" he asks to make sure.

I just nod, afraid to give myself away. The Fabricator might have a way to sense lies or something.

"Makes me wonder if they had an STC cache on that fringe planet. Perhaps your Lord father should have investigated in more detail, before starting the orbital bombardment." he says in a regretful voice.

I kinda agree, the contact with those natives had been violent from the start. Even if they fired first.

"Well, we did find a few more patterns, but I gifted them to Forge Antax, since they sponsored us with tanks and a grenadier regiment." I answer with a hint of more bartering in the future.

The Fabricator nods its cyborg head, and turns on his cogitator, scrolling through a list of possible gifts of his own.

My eyes record the list, by the grace of the remembrance implant, and I start picking and choosing what I want from their trading cache.

A dozen mining barges, another Baneblade, another fighter squadron. The Fabricator doesn't offer tech priests or servitors, but then I do have plenty of those anyway. And he probably knows that already.

I mark the gifts I want and wait.

"You're very frugal, for a Rogue Trader." the Magos observes and seemed unhappy. So I should have gained more.

"I try to maintain a cohesive force, with same type of equipment for better logistical support and repairs. It serves me less to take flamer tanks without a promethium refinery. Same with heavy bolters or Basilisk artillery, as there are no Munitorum depots outside the Empire space." I tell him with a shrug.

It is also true. No ammunition factories out there, among the barbarians and xenos.

The Fabricator General sighs, in almost human manner. "Yes, I suppose so. What would you need, when you go back exploring the wild fringes?" he asks in a more resigned voice.

"Heavy tanks, Titans, torpedoes, and a way to build missiles. Millions of missiles." I answer truthfully.

Beam weapons are great, but they have limited effective range. Missiles and torpedoes have 10 times the range.

"Even Antax wouldn't give you Titans. It's simply not possible, but I guess you're young and hopeful. I will add two more Baneblades then. As for missiles... I will provide you two thousand Hunter-seeker launchers and a million krak missiles. No factory or ship based forge though. Not outside the Empire." the Magos proclaims with a wave of tentacles.

Getting close to his final line then.

Krak missiles are not very useful in ship-to-ship combat, but the launchers can be installed on fighters and tanks. They even come with Logis-engines inside. And a million krak missiles should last me for a 100 years, unless I fight a tyranid swarm or something.

"Antax is building cheap ships to fight the Tyranid Hive. Iridium-tungsten armor and mechanical Gellar fields." I announce as I leave.

Then I walk away briskly, as something crashes inside the Fabricator's quarters.

Loading up the missiles and the tanks doesn't take long, since Graia was already evacuating, fleeing from the path of Hive fleet Kraken. A sensible thing to do, in my view. They couldn't hope to stop it, even with a whole Mechanicus fleet in orbit.

They might have a few battleships and battlecruisers and escorts by the hundred, but a tiny splinter of the Hive would still win. However, I planted the seed, under the guise of providing news and gifts.

Next stop, Forge World Tigris. This is a major forge world, with many unique STC designs like the Vanquisher cannon and the Fellblade heavy tank. I want some of those.

Travel time is longer, 6 more weeks of warp immersion and the lower deck causalities reach 5 percent now. Time to restock on those blackbox consumables for our Gellar field generator.

Already the crew complain of hearing whispers and having nightmares.

During flight, I complete an infrared auspex sensor, and three variants of the multilaser in various sizes, including fighter and frigate sized guns. Another, even simpler design for the tank tracks, with wider tracks made of adamantium and even less moving parts.

Tigris is a rich forge world, they can afford using adamantium for higher quality products. They seem to have recovered nicely from being overrun by Orks a few millennia ago.

I gift them my STC patterns and spread the news, and the Fabricator General is rather pleased.

Thus, I am promised another Sword-class frigate in 10 years, and gifted 4 Fellblades and 12 Leman Russ tanks with Vanquisher cannons.

I don't ask for Titans anymore, because it's clear I will never get any. Makes me look naive too, which is not recommended for a Rogue Trader.

Even one barely out of his teens.

A transport ship loaded with more krak missiles and a hundred torpedoes will be prepared and sent to Antax in 2 years, when I plan to depart to the Eastern Fringes again.

But the nicest gift is a working Gellar generator without organic parts, and its own tech priest crew. I plan to install this thing near the reactor core on my cruiser, and hopefully reduce the risks of warp travel malfunctions.

And I also want to scan and learn how it works, because demons.

And during this cruise, Decima decides she wants to be my first wife. I am a young man and rather grateful for her gift.

We hold a wedding and invite everyone of rank, all officers and priests and commissars and have a great feast.

"You were born in the shadow of the Omnissiah"

00001000100

I'm not sure what the Machine Spirit means, but I take it as a blessing. The shadow could mean the Blank, or something else.

Still, I began to suspect Magos Gyron has a machadendrite in this implant quoting stuff affair. He has been the only one poking inside my head after all.

Then again, I am somewhat smarter and wiser now. It might be the growing up, the responsibility of being the Captain and dealing with command prerogatives every day. But it might be something else.

If only I could remember what I picked on my damn build.

Is the being that brought me here the Omnissiah? That would be a great cosmic joke, right?

Anyway, time to enjoy my wedding night, and the pretty wife.

Decima has short black hair and asian eyes, and she seems to like me a little. Hopefully it will grow into love. We both do our best, and fall asleep exhausted a few hours later.

Meanwhile, we depart for Metalica forge world, the last part of the gift cruise before we return to Antax.