73. No Such Thing as Coincidence

"Machine Spirits really exist?"

"Of course they exist, Sister Ankesha. Every ship cannon aboard Vengeance was once a cannon or firearm beaten into scrap by rebels. Their souls are contained within, forged by hatred, given form by my magic—as you can see, Machine Spirits do indeed exist."

Sister Ankesha crouched in front of a ship cannon's control console and studied it closely. The black cylinder seemed to devour all light, dark and heavy, as though the power of destruction were contained within it.

"May I touch it? I mean, may I make contact with the Machine Spirit?" Sister Ankesha asked carefully. "The Emperor above, I'd always thought Machine Spirits didn't exist."

"Only soldiers who have passed training are qualified to come into contact with Machine Spirits and operate the ship cannons. I'm afraid, Sister Ankesha, that you do not currently have that qualification."

He Shenyan shook his head and led her through the long Silver Corridor. There was a ship cannon control console every fifteen meters, and Ankesha could not help imagining what they looked like when they fired. It had to be spectacular.

She did not feel downcast at being refused. This Sister had already completely adapted to her new role. Though she did not particularly believe the theory that The Emperor was an all-powerful god, her loyalty was beyond question. So she would devote herself entirely to completing the task The Emperor had personally given her.

That was very good.

"As you can see, Sister Ankesha, Vengeance is a Planet-sized Warship—of course, I believe you already knew this before boarding. Still, seeing it with your own eyes is somewhat awe-inspiring, isn't it?"

"Yes, my lord," she said respectfully. "I have never seen such a great structure. Every place you just took me through was a miracle among miracles."