Hostile Rogue Traders

Taking a deep breath, Gao Yi's mood settled considerably.

Of course, Gao Yi knew just how much of a cesspit this world was—perhaps many things were necessary or unavoidable. But he still believed he had to do what he could.

The food and supplies he handed out meant nothing to him, but to those crew members, they were a rare blessing. He couldn't control what others did, but at least he wanted his own crew to live a little better. At the very least, he wanted them to think twice before being forced to turn to Chaos.

After taking in these shipworkers, Gao Yi began reviewing the intelligence Tantos had sent over.

"The Void Concordat actually put a bounty on me? The God-Emperor himself would have to rise from the Golden Throne and slap them with two psychic backhands if he heard that, right?"

Veil's mouth twitched. Over the past few days, he'd heard his captain spout plenty of blasphemous remarks, but thankfully Gao Yi only did so in front of him—in public, he still played the part of a faithful devotee.

"Captain, I think it's best to keep that kind of talk to a minimum. What if someone overhears?"

"I know, I know!"

Veil would never leak these words. He believed in the God-Emperor, but the dynasty's interests always came first. True fanatics of the God-Emperor were far rarer than most imagined.

"Those pirates have been cornered. With the Halo Construct incident, the Inquisition and the Imperial Navy have mobilized together, striking their strongholds and fleets everywhere. There are still over a hundred charred corpses lying in the plaza at the Landing Port."

The pirates dragged out and burned at the stake served as a stark warning to others. Those charred bodies wouldn't be cleaned up anytime soon.

"Tsk tsk, the Inquisition's methods are still as brutal as ever."

Gao Yi continued flipping through the intelligence from Tantos, but just as he thought today would bring nothing but good news, he spotted something bad.

Veil noticed Gao Yi's dark expression.

He walked over and took the document from Gao Yi's hand.

"Omicron 2 was forcibly occupied?! And it happened over a month ago?"

"Veil, what's going on with the Suarez Dynasty?"

"The Suarez Dynasty's conflict with ours has been going on for years, but their scale is much smaller than ours. They've attacked our merchant ships, and we've retaliated by destroying their trading posts. There's blood on both sides, but attacking one of our planets is a first. Their Trade Warrant was only granted by a sector lord—they've defiled the name of Rogue Trader. They're more like privateers! Their Rogue Trader, Cantos Suarez, is practically a madman. Integrity means nothing to him. There are even rumors he's colluded with xenos and heretics! The Inquisition investigated him once but found nothing. Lord Ludwig kept him in check while he was alive, so nothing major ever happened. By the God-Emperor, what gave them the nerve to strike our planet?!" Veil was even more agitated than Gao Yi.

"What gave them the nerve? What else? They think the Mongert Dynasty, having lost its Rogue Trader, is nothing but a lamb for the slaughter!"

From the original body's memories, Gao Yi knew the extent of the Mongert Dynasty's territory. The dynasty's capital was in the Agathos System.

The system contained three planets. The capital, also named Agathos, was a massive Hive World.

Agathos was an industrial planet. A Forge World-aligned Adeptus Mechanicus, partnered with the dynasty, produced vast quantities of industrial goods and weapons for trade and self-defense.

Aglarans was a mining planet, its output mostly supplied to Forge Worlds for production.

The system lacked a suitable agricultural world, and Omicron 2 was the Mongert Dynasty's sole agricultural planet. The dynasty's transport ships would regularly visit Omicron 2 to supply food for the tens of billions across the three planets. Beyond these, there were scattered resource extraction points on various worlds.

Under normal circumstances, a world like Omicron 2 would be defended by the Mongert Dynasty's Planetary Defense Fleet. Though lacking capital ships, it had ten destroyers and frigates—enough to hold out or send distress signals to neighboring systems or the capital. The surface also had a sizable Planetary Defense Force.

But after losing its Rogue Trader, the Mongert Dynasty fell into prolonged chaos. Poor management, combined with half the fleet being recalled to Agathos for internal strife, meant Omicron 2's orbital fleet couldn't hold out until reinforcements arrived.

"The Imperium doesn't intervene in this kind of invasion?"

"No. The Imperium sees it as just a trade dispute between Rogue Traders."

"Veil, once I return to the Capital World, the dynasty needs a major overhaul! These vermin don't deserve to bear the dynasty's name!"

"But... these major families have complex connections. They control every aspect. Wouldn't that cause too much upheaval?"

"Only by cutting away the rotten parts can we gain new life! And I believe there are still families loyal to the dynasty, aren't there? Like yours?"

Hearing Gao Yi's words, Veil's heart leaped. He was already the flagship's chief steward serving the Rogue Trader, but his family wasn't a major one in the dynasty. Veil had no dynastic blood—as an outsider, reaching this position was already impressive. Now Gao Yi was offering him and his family a chance at high status. How could he not understand?

"How's the Golden Ram's repair coming along?"

"Almost finished. The SCVs you brought are astonishing—aside from some cosmetic damage, the ship is fully spaceworthy again. The Sword Rain's repairs will be done soon too."

"Get the crew ready! We'll deal with Omicron first, then return to the Capital World!"

--

With Gao Yi's orders, everyone serving the Mongert Dynasty at the Landing Port sprang into action.

Massive amounts of supplies were loaded into the ship's cargo holds. Jie Yi, having tasted the benefits of cooperating with Gao Yi, worked even harder. Hitching her wagon to a Rogue Trader was far better than going it alone.

The ship's high-ranking advisor told him Jie Yi was using his name to expand her own influence. Gao Yi didn't care. He needed a capable hand at the Landing Port, and Jie Yi fit the bill. Her ability to gather supplies and intelligence alone was worth a small investment from him.

As long as Jie Yi didn't commit heresy, Gao Yi planned to leave her be.

Massive macro-shells, supplied by the Adeptus Mechanicus, were also loaded into the ship.

These giant shells would have cost a fortune to buy. Normally, the Mechanicus didn't give anything away for free—they charged for every bullet, every gun.

And now it is provided to Gao Yi free of charge.

Gao Yi was also observing the newly joined Shipworkers and naval soldiers.

With improved treatment, the Shipworkers maintained their work enthusiasm. Though some were unsettled by the prospect of joining a battle, after other survivors spread word of the Rogue Trader and his soldiers' might, their hearts settled considerably.

The naval soldiers performed far better than the crew; their orderly battle preparations showed that the navy hadn't fobbed him off with rotten apples.

And the pay Gao Yi offered these soldiers was considerably higher than what they earned in the navy.