Standard Terra Calendar 674.M31
At the Mandeville Point of the Limnos System, three ships emerged one after another from the Warp, where energy ran rampant.
It was Peter and his companions, who had been away for nearly two years. After almost two years of travel, they had finally returned to their Homeworld.
As they brought the three ships back to their Homeworld, Peter noticed several more Dark Mechanicus ships in orbit. A steel framework had also appeared there.
Countless Servitors and Dark Tech-Priests, clad in Void-protective gear, were methodically building the framework of a Starport.
This was clearly the small Starport the Adeptus Mechanicus had promised. It would allow fast communications between the planet's surface and orbit. Auspex positioning across the planet and surveillance of the surface from space would also become possible. Storage for cargo and fuel, as well as docking between ships and the Starport, would make it much easier for people and goods to travel between ships.
Looking at the imposing construction project, Peter was pleased with the Dark Mechanicus' efficiency. The Starport had already grown this large in less than two years.
In truth, Peter didn't understand the work involved. The most difficult part of a small Starport wasn't the basic framework. Welding together a framework built with well-established technology required little technical skill. If the project were compared to building a house, they hadn't even laid the foundation yet—they had only just finished digging the foundation pit.
After Peter's fleet returned to the orbit of their Homeworld, they immediately received a request for a meeting from Magos Morok of the Dark Mechanicus.
Peter and Anthony waited in the Blackrock's reception room. They met Magos Morok, the Biologus Sage who lay sprawled on the floor, once again. This time, another Dark Tech-Priest in a rust-red robe stood beside him.
Peter got straight to the point:
"Greetings, Magos Morok. May I ask why you were so eager to see me?"
Magos Morok continued to turn his head, producing a low grinding sound as his emotional simulation circuits ran at full capacity.
"Greetings, Forged Steel Lord. First, I'd like to discuss a deal with you."
"Our technicians have been surveying Limnos III, Limnos IV, and Limnos V. They've found mineral deposits or Promethium on all three. Limnos V in particular, a gas giant, contains a staggering amount of Promethium."
"With your permission, we can extract these resources. We'll provide all the equipment, personnel, and expertise. We'll split the resources evenly: of every ten tons of ore we extract, five will be yours; of every ten liters of Promethium, five will be yours. We'll store your share for you. You can claim it whenever you like, or trade it directly with us."
Peter was somewhat surprised by the offer—not by the quantity of resources in the system, since that was why he had chosen the Maelstrom in the first place. Rather, he was surprised at how proactive and generous the Dark Mechanicus were. A fifty-fifty split, without requiring them to contribute any labor or materials, was practically a gift.
Faced with such an enticing offer, Peter rubbed his chin and considered it before replying:
"That's a very good proposal, Magos. I have something extra to offer as well."
"I've already looked over the information on Limnos IV. Apart from having no atmosphere or surface water, it's actually a fine planet. I'll give this planet and everything on it to the Daedalus Forge World for free, as a symbol of our friendship with Daedalus."
The tentacles and mechanical arms on Magos Morok suddenly froze. Then, a series of clacking sounds came from inside him once more.
"Thank you for your generosity. There's one more matter."
As he spoke, the Magos extended a tentacle toward his lower body—or abdomen, or perhaps his chassis—and pulled out a Battle Axe.
It was a massive Battle Axe, roughly as long as a person. Both its haft and its blade were made of adamantium. Intricate, mysterious patterns were engraved on the blade, and the haft was wrapped in an unknown animal hide. The weapon looked sturdy and powerful.
"This is a finely crafted Power Axe, powered by a plasma battery in the base of its haft. In an emergency, it can also be connected to a Power Pack with a cable. I'm sure a battle-hardened warrior like you is familiar with such weapons."
"It was personally made for you by Dorothy Frek, the Forge General of the Daedalus Forge World. Its designation is 35931-C02. The Forge General instructed me to give it to you as a token of friendship."
Peter couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from rising as he listened to the Magos. The Biologus Sage's words amused him. Was there a flaw in the Sage's emotional simulation device, or a glitch in his logic circuits?
Peter wasn't a professional Tech Sergeant, but he was an Iron Warrior, and every Iron Warrior knew a little about technology. They might not be able to soothe machine spirits or repair super-heavy vehicles, but they could make simple weapons and equipment, and perform basic battlefield repairs on common vehicles.
Besides, the loophole was enormous. A weapon designated 35931-C02 meant it was the second C-class project in Standard Terra Calendar 359.M31.
They didn't seem to have been in contact back then, and the weapon had supposedly been made especially for him. Did that mean the Sage was highly skilled at diplomacy and social niceties, or that these gearheads were astonishingly stupid in certain ways?
But Peter didn't call him out. He simply nodded, accepted the Power Axe, and said:
"Thank you. I've decided to name it 'Blood of Crassus.' Please convey my gratitude to the Forge General as well."
The Magos continued to wave his tentacles and mechanical arms, making a clacking noise. He shifted his massive body to reveal the Tech-Priest beside him.
"One last matter. I'll be returning to the Forge World. This is Magos Yamila Burke. She has extensive construction experience. After I leave, she'll represent the Forge World and coordinate the work with you."
After saying this, the Magos immediately shut down his emotional simulation circuits and turned to leave. But as he departed, perhaps due to a mechanical fault inside him, he continued to make clacking sounds—louder than before.
Ignoring the departing Magos, Peter looked at Magos Yamila Burke. She didn't seem too heavily augmented. She had two legs, two arms, and a head, with a few extra mechanical arms on her back. She even had flesh on her face that could still be called a face. Peter might not understand complex machinery, but he understood social niceties.
Whether they belonged to the Adeptus Mechanicus or the Dark Mechanicus, only two kinds of people could serve as representatives. One kind held great power and could truly represent a Forge World in diplomatic matters, like Magos Morok, the Biologus Sage.
The other kind was stationed permanently in a particular region or among a particular faction, representing a Forge World while handling the same routine diplomatic work day after day. Such work didn't require much technical skill, but it still had to be done. The woman in front of him was one of those.
It could only mean the Forge World didn't think this Tech-Priest was irreplaceable, and nobody liked her. Either she had made some mistake, her superior had made some mistake, or they had simply picked someone at random and happened to choose her. It was practically an exile; there was a good chance she'd never return to her Forge World.
Peter extended a hand in greeting.
"Magos Yamila, welcome aboard! I look forward to working with you."
Magos Yamila extended one of the mechanical arms on her back and briefly shook Peter's hand before replying:
"Yes, my lord."
She then said she had work to take care of and left.
Once the guests were gone, Anthony immediately asked:
"Captain, you just gave them an entire world. And they said they'd hold on to all the resources they extract. So who do those things actually belong to?"
Peter patiently explained:
"Resources buried underground aren't really resources until they're dug up. With our industrial capacity, it might take us thousands of years to use up everything on our Homeworld. We can't extract it ourselves anytime soon, so we might as well let them do it."
"They've got an entire world now. Next, they'll build resource extraction sites, then expand operations and set up processing and refining facilities, and build a Starport to make transportation easier. I'm sure eventually they'll find it too much trouble and establish production lines right there. Then we'll have a small industrial world next door, perhaps even a Forge World in the future. Anthony, you see us losing a planet in the system, but in the future, we'll gain much more."
"As for those supplies, setting up storage and distribution is a complicated undertaking. Trust me, brother, it's a lot of work. Besides, our Bolter Guns are right next to them. They wouldn't dare refuse to hand them over."
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