Luna had the " Rule of Discipline " checked again.
This time, she personally oversaw the process.
The search focused on two things: Genestealer and the residual Psychic Power in various parts of the ship.
She knew that the Tyranids, especially the chieftains of the Genestealer, were particularly skilled in Psychic Power.
These terrifying Xenos can transmit information through consciousness networks, interfere with machinery through Psychic Power, and even subtly influence the minds of intelligent beings.
If Lynn really did tamper with things, it's most likely some kind of trick.
An energy scanner combined with Auspex provides dual detection.
The Servitor, carrying various instruments, moved about in every corner of the ship.
The data jumped on the screen, and alarms sounded occasionally, but were quickly determined to be false alarms.
The search concluded ten hours later.
As expected, they found another Genestealer.
He was a Tech-Priest in charge of managing the Gellar Field.
Although it wasn't from the engine department, it still meant that an extremely dangerous mine was defused.
If the Gellar Field malfunctions during Warp travel, then it's truly game over.
The priest was in his thirties and not highly mechanized; only his limbs, part of his spine, and a small part of his brain had been replaced.
According to the standards of the Adeptus Mechanicus, this falls under the "physical-oriented" level, and is the target most easily contaminated by genetic factors.
When he was brought before Luna, he was trembling all over and muttering incomprehensible prayers.
Luna glanced at him, said nothing, and simply waved.
Two Skitarii dragged him away.
Luna turned to look at the Tech-Priest who were responsible for connecting the Servitor' data.
Is there anything else?
The priests looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Above-average levels of Psychic Power were detected near the engine," a priest reported.
"But the concentration is very low, it should just be within the normal range. After all, the Silis System itself has Warp turbulence, so some residue is normal."
Luna frowned.
"Eliminate."
The priests did as instructed, and their Servitor used special high-energy radiation countermeasures to eliminate the remaining Psychic Power.
Then I checked it twice more.
After confirming that there were no abnormalities, Luna ordered, "Prepare for the second test flight."
This time, Luna chose to stay at the spaceport and did not board the ship.
She stood in the control center of the spaceport, watching the " Rule of Discipline " sail out of the port through a holographic screen.
The captain was a seasoned veteran who had served in the Adeptus Mechanicus for thirty years.
The vice-captain is Luna's confidant and is responsible for recording all anomalies.
The entire crew was replaced with the most mechanized group of Skitarii or Servitor, who were the least likely to be infected.
Everything seemed perfect.
The Rule of Discipline began to fly around Brevis.
First lap, normal.
Second lap, normal.
Third lap...
"Report!" came the captain's voice through the communicator, tinged with tension.
"Secondary engine malfunction!"
Luna's heart sank.
On the holographic screen, the data began to fluctuate.
Of the four auxiliary engines, three suddenly experienced a 40% drop in power.
There's no malfunction, just a decrease in power.
But for the spacecraft, this is even more terrifying than the decrease in the main engine's output power.
Because during real-space navigation, the main engine provides propulsion for the ship.
The secondary engine is responsible for precisely adjusting the ship's attitude, steering, and assisting with docking.
Therefore, problems with the secondary engine can significantly reduce the spaceship's maneuverability, which is far more fatal than a decrease in speed.
The enemy doesn't need to predict the enemy's movements; they can accurately hit the ship simply by calculating the lead time.
"Duration?"
"About... thirteen minutes!"
For thirteen minutes, " The Rule of Discipline " staggered through space like a drunken giant.
Its posture became erratic, turning became sluggish, and adjusting its direction took several times longer than before.
If this were during a battle, Luna didn't dare to think about it further.
Thirteen minutes later, the secondary engine's power returned to normal.
The " Rule of Discipline " stumbled and scrambled through its final flight before heading back to the spaceport.
Luna's face was as black as it could possibly be.
After the ships returned to their positions, Luna summoned someone.
Emil van Horn, one of the sages within the Adeptus Mechanicus who is specifically responsible for ship maintenance.
He has studied this field for over a hundred years and has handled more warships than Luna has ever seen.
Emil, accompanied by a group of priests, thoroughly examined the " Rule of Discipline " inside and out.
Seven hours later, he walked up to Luna and took off his oversized protective goggles.
"No problem at all." His voice sounded somewhat impatient.
He was originally researching STC inside the temple when Luna called him out to help, so it's understandable that he didn't give her much face.
"All systems are functioning normally, components are intact, and all data meets standards."
Luna looked at him with some confusion.
"Then why did the problem occur twice in a row?"
Emil pondered for a few seconds.
"There are only some traces of psionic Psychic Power left," he said.
"However, the concentration is very low, insufficient to cause substantial impact. Considering the current Warp turbulence in the Silis System, this is within the normal range."
The answer was almost exactly the same as the priests' last time.
Luna took a deep breath.
She had faith in Emil's professional competence.
If he says he can't find any problems, then the " Rule of Discipline " are indeed mechanically sound.
But the problem does exist.
Engine power has decreased, that's a fact.
Her only explanation was that Lynn had tampered with the ship.
But how exactly did he do it?
Putting aside how strict her precautions were, she never allowed any outsiders into the Rule of Discipline.
The Genestealer were all caught, and she really couldn't figure out where the problem lay.
The fact that the engine is inefficient is already terrible enough.
But what's even more frightening is what if the other side could cause problems elsewhere?
What if, during a naval battle, the Void Shield suddenly loses power or even shuts down?
Luna felt a chill run down her spine.
She was a Tzeentch Sorcerer, and like her god, she was most skilled at scheming and plotting.
But this time, she felt she was facing an opponent she couldn't understand at all.
Just then, a message reached her.
Luna glanced down, and her expression instantly became quite interesting.
The message was sent by Lynn.
The content was very polite, very respectable, and could even be described as enthusiastic.
"I am deeply sorry to hear that Lady Luna's spaceship encountered some problems on its maiden flight."
To be honest, I've encountered a similar situation before, and it took me a long time to resolve it.
"If Lady Luna doesn't mind, I have some technical personnel here who might be able to help."
Luna stared at the line of text, nearly crushing the Dataslate in her hand.
What does this mean?
She had heard it from an uncle who was in charge of maintaining the family's security.
The suspects enjoyed returning to the crime scene to admire their handiwork.
Does Lynn have the same quirk?
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
As far as she knew, Lynn had never been in contact with more than two spaceships in her entire life.
One was the Song Offering, and the other was the ship he used when he came to the Silis System; their whereabouts are now unknown.
Moreover, they had only taken each flight once, and both had been navigating the dangerous edges of star systems.
If every ship he's been on had problems, he should have died in space long ago.
This is clearly a mockery of her.
"Despicable outsider!" Luna cursed through gritted teeth.
But she held back.
She replied with an equally polite message:
"Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency. It's just a minor issue, no need to trouble yourself."
"However, if Your Excellency truly has a solution, you might as well send someone to try."
She also wanted to see what Lynn was up to.