As a Rogue Trader, Isn't It Reasonable to Flirt with a Few Xenos?
After determining Carroll's next course of action...
Alvin, leading an elite Kill Team and his secretary Elsa, boarded the Valkyrie Transport.
The Valkyrie Transport precisely bypassed the combat zone and then plunged straight into the atmosphere of the system's Alert Star. The intense airflow caused friction between the ship and the planet, and amidst slight tremors, they officially arrived at the Alert Star!
We entered the Star Harbor and passed verification.
As the hatch opened, Alvin took his first step, and what came into view was the dense, cloud-piercing Hive City of the Nest City, like a steel jungle.
The industrial zones, spreading like wildfire like plants, form a unique landscape on Alert Star. Magnificent Hive City cities form a steel continent, standing tall on the Alert Star's barren surface.
Their first stop upon arriving on Alert Star was the Nest Continent, ruled by the Agamemnon Family.
"Welcome, Mr. Alvin Mr. Valshus." At this moment, the Astra Militarum commander guarding the satellite port strode in and bowed respectfully to him. "On behalf of Alert Star, I am very grateful to you and the great Valshius Merchant Dynasty for defending the Imperium against that damned heretical invasion."
The starport was deserted. Apart from a dozen or so Astra Militarum lined up to form a simple welcoming ceremony, not a single noble from Agamemnon could be seen!
In the social rituals of the nobility, this was undoubtedly the greatest "insult." They had arrived first at the central territory controlled by Agamemnon, only to be met with a cold shoulder!
They didn't even prepare a welcoming ceremony!
This is the most basic "aristocratic etiquette." Just from this, one can see Agamemnon's arrogant and conceited face. So much so that Elsa, who was standing next to Alvin, was so angry when she saw this scene that her face turned as cold as ice, and her eyes seemed to be brewing a chilling murderous intent!
"Oh..."
Gazing at the noticeably desolate starport, Alvin remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he sneered, saying meaningfully, "Is that so? But why do I feel... that Alert Star doesn't seem to welcome me very much?"
The Astra Militarum commander looked embarrassed, hesitated, but finally lowered his head in remorse. "I'm sorry, sir... please forgive me."
"It's okay, don't worry about it."
Alvin patted him on the shoulder, smiled calmly, and said, completely unconcerned, "I understand your situation."
Just as he had predicted.
Upon arrival, they immediately gave us a "baptism of fire"!
Why do I say that?
The reason is simple: even though his current status is merely that of an "inheritor," he is backed by the Valshius Merchant Dynasty!
However, Agamemnon's behavior shows that he doesn't care about Agammenus's status as the heir at all.
Actually, it wasn't that he couldn't understand Agamemnon's thoughts. After all, even though their power had been diluted and weakened by the combined efforts of the Ecclesiarchy and the Tech-Priest of St. 8, they were still incredibly powerful within the vast Imperium, and their arrogance had long blinded them.
In Agamemnon's eyes, Alvin is now merely the heir to a fallen Rogue Trader.
To put it simply: A stinking beggar has come to our Alert Star?
But Elsa couldn't swallow this insult.
She didn't bother to control her voice, coldly saying, "Young Master, since Agamemnon doesn't welcome us, we can go directly to the 'Hongbei Jiqu Continent.' Surely the Tech-Priest of St. 8 should at least know... how to spell the word 'politeness'!"
Upon hearing this, the commander of the Astra Militarum frowned slightly. He was caught in the middle. If the other party really went to the Hongbei Jiqu Continent in a fit of anger, they would be the ones to suffer the consequences!
But unfortunately, he couldn't say anything.
Who was responsible for this mess? Those greedy, foolish Agamemnon nobles! The Astra Militarum commander cursed inwardly. The situation on Alert Star was already chaotic enough, and instead of thinking about how to control and quell the unrest, these nobles sent a significant reinforcement, only to leave them stranded at the starport. Were they just plain brain-dead?
Unfortunately, no matter what the commander of the Astra Militarum thought, he couldn't influence the decision of those nobles.
Under the commander's apologetic gaze, Alvin chuckled and waved his hand, easing the tense atmosphere. "It's alright, Elsa. No matter what, we're fighting for the Emperor. As for the Agamemnon Family... heh, don't worry about them."
"Young Master Alvin..."
Although she knew that once the young master made a decision, it was difficult to change it, Elsa still couldn't swallow her anger.
If Lord Horn were still alive, even with Agamemnon's immense power, he would never have dared to disregard, or even nearly insult, the great Valshius!
He had been mentally prepared before coming to Alert Star.
The reason he chose this place as his first stop wasn't just because he wanted to meet with the Agamemnon Family, but more importantly... he wanted to stop something that was about to happen!
This matter concerns not only the future of Alert Star, but also... how to extend Horn's life!
In fact, aside from the Styx Eight and Agamemnon, Alvin did not tell Carroll that his biggest goal on this trip was the Aeldari of the Samhan Ark World!
As a qualified Rogue Trader, it would be reasonable for him to befriend a few forces of Xenos when "necessary," wouldn't it?
As creations of the Old Ones and former rulers of the Aeldari, establishing a good relationship with the Eldar is extremely important for future development, for Hoern, and even for Horn himself!
When discussing why the Samhan Ark Eldar ended up on Alert Star, we have to mention this rather dramatic story.
Their prophet Anvil Ketok foresaw the importance of Alert Star to the Aeldari's future and discovered that the minions of the Chaos God had already quietly infiltrated the world.
The Tzeentch cult known as the "Children of Vardan" is hidden in the heart of the complex industrial district of Sukuri!
Therefore, in order to thwart the Tzeentch Cult's plot and to protect this planet, which is inextricably linked to the fate of the Aeldari, the Samhan Ark World dispatched a strike force to assassinate the cult leader, Vanardan Firemark, who was giving an inflammatory speech.
However, during their evacuation, they ran into an elite Stormtrooper Corps, which used a gravity parachute to quickly descend and intercept the evacuating Ark Eldar.
Previously, the Dark Eldar's rampant plundering of people had already put the Imperium on edge, but thanks to the existence of the Webway, they had been unable to capture them despite numerous attempts to encircle and suppress them.
At that very moment, the Ark Eldar's open assassination attempt on the street was directly interpreted as a provocation.
The Stormtrooper completely ignored the Ark Eldar's explanations and disregarded the Spirit Seer's intentions to negotiate. They launched a surprise attack and, relying on their overwhelming numerical advantage, wiped out the Aeldari's assault team.
The Aeldari War-seer Rorol was killed in battle, leaving only a handful of survivors. Led by the Spirit Seer Kailanaris, they collected the Spirit Stone of their fallen comrades and retreated from Alert Star back into the Webway.
Originally committed to "peaceful negotiations," the Kailanaris, after experiencing this devastating loss, vowed to return to Alert Star and make the arrogant Imperium of Man pay the price!
The whole affair was full of coincidences, like a carefully woven net waiting for the Ark Eldar and humans to fall into it.
Alvin strongly suspected that it was a conspiracy orchestrated by Tzeentch to sow discord between humans and the Ark Eldar.
If not, how can we explain why Vanadan Firebrand, a cult leader, would openly reveal his whereabouts and give a speech on the streets of the ghetto?
Furthermore, just minutes after the Samhan commando carried out the decapitation strike, the Stormtrooper of the 47th Antrel Lion Regiment swiftly intercepted the retreating commando.
Alvin would never believe that Tzeentch wasn't involved in this!