Rena's gene bank stored a portion of the genetic code for a Narvhal.
Those were precious genetic fragments she had obtained by analyzing large numbers of Tyranids.
The Narvhal was the Tyranids' faster-than-light travel unit, capable of manipulating gravitational fields to create space-compression corridors for interstellar jumps.
But the genetic code Rena had obtained was incomplete, and she could not create a true Narvhal.
She could only settle for biologically modifying this merchant ship to produce a budget Narvhal.
After consuming a great deal of biomass, Rena created "stripped-down versions" of the three most critical organs.
The first was the [Monofilament Spine Cluster].
It was installed at the ship's bow and would extend a cluster of black, slender tendrils when activated.
It could sense gravitational signals in the universe and determine the location of the target star system.
The second was the [Gravitic Heart].
Embedded in the ship's engine compartment, it was a huge, beating ball of flesh.
It could amplify and manipulate the target star system's gravitational field, initiating space compression to create a corridor.
The third was the [Spacetime Sphincter].
Installed at the stern, it was a ring-shaped, heavily muscled biological organ.
It could control the width and stability of the compressed-space corridor and guide the ship's direction of travel.
Looking at these three "budget" organs, Lynn could not help the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Even without having seen a Narvhal in person, Lynn knew these three organs were not particularly good quality.
He could guess that this thing was most likely single-use.
If Lynn had not wanted to escape this star system quickly, he would not have gone to such lengths to modify the ship.
"One use will definitely be fine."
Rena's consciousness reached Lynn's mind, carrying a trace of certainty.
Lynn looked into her earnest compound eyes and sighed helplessly.
"All right."
He chose to trust Rena.
After all, trusting your wife brought good luck.
He renamed the modified ship the Purple Crystal.
Next came choosing a destination.
The star system containing Necromunda was certainly no longer an option. Once the Hive Fleet arrived, it would become a dead zone.
The Sons of Medusa's home base was not far away either, and those Space Marines would certainly not let the matter rest.
Once they set their sights on him, he would not be able to escape.
His gaze finally settled on the edge of the star chart, the western frontier of Segmentum Pacificus.
It was a corner forgotten by the Imperium, a region far from the Great Rift and the forces of Chaos.
Most of its planets were feudal worlds or feral worlds, and Imperial control was extremely weak.
Technology there was primitive, but resources were abundant, making it the ideal place for him and Rena to lie low and grow.
"We'll go there."
For this purpose, Lynn had gone to considerable trouble to procure an incomplete star chart of Segmentum Pacificus on the black market.
Everything was ready.
Seven days before the Hive Fleet's arrival, the Purple Crystal slowly departed Necromunda's spaceport.
Most of the crew aboard were Imperial voidsmen infected by Genestealers. They were loyal, efficient, possessed the relevant skills, and would never leak any secrets.
Butcher remained Lynn's adjutant, responsible for maintaining order among the others aboard.
Rena became the ship's "Navigator," using her psychic power to control the three stripped-down Narvhal organs.
Lynn also kept his promise.
He had the Anvil Society bring aboard as many family members as possible of the Underhive residents who had attacked the Sons of Medusa's stronghold.
Among those two thousand people were the elderly, children, wives who had lost their husbands, and orphans who had lost their parents.
Before boarding the ship, they had caught a glimpse of Lynn.
Their eyes had been filled with gratitude and awe.
Looking at them, Lynn could not help sighing too.
In this man-eat-man universe, mercy was a luxury.
But he was still willing to offer mercy when it did not endanger him.
That was his bottom line as a human being.
The Purple Crystal's engines rumbled low as it flew into deep space.
After it had passed beyond Necromunda's sight.
The [Gravitic Heart] began to beat, and the [Monofilament Spine Cluster]'s tendrils waved through the air, picking up gravitational signals from Segmentum Pacificus.
"Initiate space compression," Lynn's voice rang out in the cockpit.
Rena's consciousness sank into the [Gravitic Heart], and pale purple psychic power poured into the ball of flesh.
The [Gravitic Heart]'s beating abruptly quickened. Space around the ship began to warp, and starlight stretched into ribbons of color.
The [Spacetime Sphincter] slowly contracted, and a pitch-black spatial corridor leading to an unknown region of space slowly unfolded before the ship.
The [Purple Crystal] plunged straight into it.
Lynn leaned against the viewport, watching the distorted light and shadows flash past outside, unable to help feeling a little anticipation.
He had thought this would be a smooth escape.
Until three days later, when the [Spacetime Sphincter] gave a muffled thud under the strain, and the spatial corridor collapsed with a crash.
The [Purple Crystal] was violently flung back into realspace.
What he had feared most had happened after all. Not only was this budget Narvhal single-use.
Even its positioning had been wrong, bringing them to the edge of a completely unfamiliar star system.
There were no markings for this region of space on the star chart.
The deep-space scanner blared frantic alarms. The screen showed that this star system was shrouded in a Warp Storm. Signals could not get through at all, making any contact with the outside impossible.
This was a prison star system.
"Fuck!" Lynn slammed a fist into the console with a dull thud.
Rena silently crawled over to him and rubbed her head against his arm, as though comforting him.
Looking at the apology in her eyes, Lynn's anger instantly dissipated.
"It's all right." He sighed and stroked Rena's cold head.
"At least we escaped, didn't we?"
The days passed one after another.
The [Purple Crystal] drifted aimlessly through this prison star system.
Their food and fresh water would last a while longer, but they had almost no fuel left.
The people aboard began to grow anxious.
The families of those Underhive residents gathered on the deck every day, gazing at the stars outside with bewilderment in their eyes.
Lynn stayed in the cockpit every day, staring at the scanner screen, hoping to find a chance of survival.
Then, on the seventh day, a blinking red dot suddenly appeared on the scanner screen.
"Anomalous gravitational fluctuations detected! Coordinates: ..."
A piercing alarm rang through the cockpit.
Lynn sprang from his chair, his eyes fixed on the red dot on the screen.
He immediately turned to Rena. "Rena, see what's going on!"
Rena closed her compound eyes, and her psychic power spread outward like a tide.
A moment later, her consciousness relayed a message to Lynn's mind:
[Large numbers of life signs detected. Humans, Xenos, and unknown psychic fluctuations. The signals are very jumbled.]
Lynn's eyes lit up. Based on Rena's description, he was reasonably certain it was a Hive World!
Whatever was on it, at least it was somewhere to land.
"Set a course! Target: that Hive World!" There was finally a trace of joy in Lynn's voice.
The [Purple Crystal] slowly headed toward the newly discovered Hive World.