Boarding the Ship

After Kaminski left, Nimrod received Howard.

"My lord, I have begun fully implementing the Khanty-Mansi Dome system throughout the Lower Hive. Before long, the Lower Hive will be completely transformed."

After hearing the report, Nimrod praised him.

"Well done. You must also take charge of forming the 5th Regiment. Your future does not lie with the Arbites."

"Yes, my lord."

"You must also keep an eye out for talented individuals within the regiment and prepare for the next expansion."

Nimrod had made the same demand of every regimental commander. When he returned to Vostonia, he would launch a new round of expansion and completely conquer this world.

"Tezwork's defenses are yours as well. Buksa will assist you in this regard."

Mazov and Szczecin had only recently been subdued, and the Magadanians were rather artistic by nature and lacked the will to resist. Nimrod entrusted those two Hive Cities to Rawlslev and his 1st Regiment.

"My lord, I will guard Tezwork well and await your return."

After Howard left, Rosicky arrived with dozens of Servitors, bringing the armor.

The Servitors stood on mechanical braces as they fitted Nimrod with black armor.

"King Nimrod, does the armor fit?"

Rosicky, who still retained most of his human features and had only a single augmetic eye implanted, wisely focused his scans on Nimrod's physical data and the armor itself.

Nimrod swayed, appearing at the palace gates before returning to where he had stood. He moved so quickly that Rosicky's optical scanner only flickered for an instant.

"Not bad. It fits."

"My lord, Magos Kaminski ordered me to accompany you on your expedition against the xenos pirates."

"Go prepare the aircraft. I will depart in one standard hour."

Tezwork only had aircraft suitable for his use at low altitude, with no vehicle capable of supporting high-altitude flight.

One Terra-hour later, Nimrod brought Maria and the other two Assassins aboard the Transport Ship he had summoned from the spaceport, guided by Rosicky.

Lukpo Hive City, Upper Hive Palace.

Nimrod first summoned Szczesny and listened to his report.

"My lord, Thierry has conscientiously carried out your order to form the 2nd Regiment."

"He used his prestige and influence to work with Murawski in stabilizing order. I believe he is sincerely loyal to you."

Nimrod nodded slightly. If Thierry harbored ulterior motives, the period of Nimrod's absence would have been his best opportunity.

"How is the formation of your 4th Regiment progressing?"

"My lord, the 4th Regiment has been formed. I request permission to accompany you on the expedition."

"Then lead the 4th Regiment aboard the Piszczek immediately."

Szczesny was overjoyed. Ever since becoming a Sailor, he had wanted to serve Nimrod and repay his trust. At last, the opportunity had come.

"As you wish."

He used a phrase he had just learned from a rhetoric book.

After Szczesny left, Nimrod immediately activated his communicator and sent Thierry a message.

"Come to the palace and see me."

Nimrod stood before Thierry and opened his palm, revealing a red potion.

Thierry hesitated for three seconds. If my lord wanted to kill me, there would be no need for all this trouble.

He knew he had no choice but to drink it. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the potion and tipped it back.

Ten minutes later, Thierry's once well-fitted Carapace Armor was nearly bursting apart. After mastering meditation and Spirit Sight under Nimrod's guidance, he carefully lowered himself to his knees.

"My king, thank you for this gift."

"I am about to depart for the stars to strike at the xenos. Lukpo will be yours to defend."

Nimrod had raised Thierry into a Warrior precisely to further strengthen the combat ability of his foremost subordinate.

Unlike the other three remote Hive Cities, Lukpo was surrounded by powerful rivals. There was no guarantee that no one would make a move while he was away on campaign.

Thierry was somewhat disappointed that he had not been given the chance to follow Nimrod into battle, but being entrusted with the defense of the largest and most prosperous of the four Hive Cities, he could also feel Nimrod's trust.

"My king, I will defend Lukpo unto death and never betray your trust."

The third person Nimrod summoned was Wojciech Belik. Hearing the sloshing water within the crates carried by the technical artisan's subordinates, Nimrod already had an idea of what to expect.

"Looks like you have achieved results?"

"My king, I have developed a waterproof coating. Applied to melee weapons such as Chainswords and left to dry for four hours, it prevents rust for eight Work Cycles."

As he spoke, he opened one of the crates and removed a Chainsword.

"Please allow me to demonstrate."

"Begin."

The Chainsword activated, scattering droplets of water as Wojciech cleaved the head from a steel mannequin.

After setting down the Chainsword, he continued.

"As for ranged weapons, I have only completed modifications for the Lasgun."

"The key is the power pack. In addition to the waterproof coating, I used vacuum resin injection to prevent water from seeping inside."

"With this method, the maximum continuous submersion time is one Work Cycle. After that, the vacuum resin injection must be performed again."

Nimrod watched him pull a Las-rifle from the water tank and fire it immediately without wiping it down, blasting apart another mannequin's head.

"Not bad. Bring your men and materials to the spaceport and wait."

The last person Nimrod summoned was Murawski.

"My king, following your instructions, I distributed the grain that once belonged to House Piatkowski and now belongs to you."

"The Upper Hive has temporarily regained stability, but this is not a long-term solution. It is estimated to last only one month."

"I am about to campaign against the xenos pirates. The food problem will be resolved shortly."

Hearing this, Murawski felt the weight on his shoulders ease considerably. He believed that the mighty King Nimrod would surely defeat the xenos pirates.

"May your campaign go smoothly, my king, and may you crush the xenos!"

After receiving reports from Thierry and Wojciech, Nimrod brought Maria and the other two to the landing pad atop the Hive Spire and boarded the Transport Ship.

The Transport Ship carried Nimrod slowly upward as Lukpo rapidly shrank beneath them.

Vostonia had three spaceports, all controlled by the servants of the Omnissiah.

Nimrod had no intention of provoking the Adeptus Mechanicus. When he seized the three ships, he had done so only after obtaining their keys.

For him, the three ships were enough for now.

After seizing xenos ships, he believed the Adeptus Mechanicus would certainly be interested in xenos technology such as the advanced artillery suspected to be Aether Cannons. They would agree to joint development and build him large warships.

Although The Emperor had signed the Treaty of Olympus with Mars in 739.M30, the fleets of the Great Crusade had not yet reached Vostonia. The local Adeptus Mechanicus would certainly not miss this opportunity.

Since the Dark Mechanicum Era, the Adeptus Mechanicus and countless warlords across the galaxy had used technology without restraint.

Nimrod also knew that the fundamental cause of the future Martian civil war would be the dissatisfaction of the faction led by Forge Lord Kelbor-Hal with the restrictions imposed upon it.

The Adeptus Mechanicus had divided the ships of the thirty-three Hive Cities evenly among the three spaceports according to their number, for docking and management.

The spaceport assigned to the four Hive Cities under Nimrod's control was Krakow Spaceport.

After boarding, Nimrod immediately headed for the strategic chamber on the bridge.