Chapter 36: Decapitation Strike Successful
"Everyone, chant the name of the Holy Machine and pray to it! It heals our damaged bodies; it will mend our broken souls!"
The members of the Mechanicus contingent within the Golden Ram heard Pavian's call.
One by one, prayers in the name of the Holy Machine began to resonate throughout the warship, gradually becoming uniform.
The SCVs stationed throughout the warship also stirred. Without receiving any direct orders, they autonomously moved forward, repairing the ravaged mechanical bodies of the Tech-Priests and tech-adepts.
And Lucan's projection in the Warp also sent down its own power – that power which could purify and devour Warp energy.
The Warp force that had sustained the scrap code's infinite replication began to slowly transform into Psy-crystals in Lucan's possession.
Lucan was astonished by the Psy-crystals harvested – 50,000? A full 50,000?
The simultaneous influx of Psy-crystals momentarily made Lucan's body struggle to adapt to the surge of power. Looking at the alloy handrail he had inadvertently crushed, he realized this increase in physical strength was far greater than all previous enhancements combined.
While replicating and dividing, the scrap code had also duplicated that Warp energy.
One segment of code might contain only a little, but countless segments accumulated represented a considerable amount!
And the scrap code, having lost its ability to replicate and divide, began to be deleted.
For these Tech-Priests, this felt like an eternity.
In the world of their consciousness and data, they relied on the power of the Holy Machine to fight against the scrap code.
Segment by segment, the blasphemous code was deleted, and the Tech-Priests' self-awareness began to regain dominance.
The profane knowledge in their minds started to dissipate; the indescribable images began to shatter.
The world before their eyes once again became real.
When the very last segment of scrap code was deleted, their consciousness successfully returned to their own bodies.
Looking at the SCVs standing before them, the Tech-Priests fell to their knees, their conviction growing ever firmer. What had merely been a nascent branch of the Adeptus Mechanicus was truly born at this moment; the Tech-Priests solidified their new faith.
Lucan also discovered that these Tech-Priests could now share their vision with him, just like his warped-in units!
However, it seemed it wasn't all good news. Previously, Lucan's Warp projection had not been particularly strong within the endless expanse of the Warp, and no Ruinous Power had noticed his existence.
But by countering Vashtorr's influence, this lesser Chaos God of the Warp had now become aware of him.
Lucan knew he had been marked by this entity…
And according to the Law of Conservation of Smiles, which applied to all worlds:
Smiles don't disappear; they merely transfer from one person to another.
So, Lucan smiled, which meant someone else was bound to cry.
Zestha was breaking down. He had clearly felt the scrap code he created begin to replicate and proliferate, successfully invading the processors of those Tech-Priests.
But why? All the code had vanished! The power originating from Vashtorr had also abandoned him!
At this moment, his mind was solely focused on escaping this place. Without even another word to Kanto, he turned and headed directly for the elevator.
And Kanto also seemed to realize something.
"Zestha! I curse you!"
Kanto drew the bolt pistol from his waist. If he was going down, Zestha wasn't getting away either!
But before he could pull the trigger, he found that all the bionics Zestha had implanted in him had ceased to function.
Now, he couldn't even blink.
"I was the one who installed these powerful implants for you. Did you think you could use what I gave you against me?"
Zestha fired a single las-shot straight through Kanto's head. Kanto had lost all value to him.
Seeing their Rogue Trader murdered, the Suarez Dynasty soldiers on the bridge immediately drew their weapons and attacked Zestha.
However, the bullets and las-beams they fired were all deflected by a shimmering refractor field.
And Zestha's every counter-attack was lethal.
Arc weapons electrocuted victims into charred husks. Soldiers wielding chainswords were vaporized by melta blasts. The most agonizing fate befell those bisected by his axe, left to await death in agony.
In a short while, apart from Kanto's corpse, there wasn't a single living person left on the bridge.
"Such fragile flesh."
Just as he was about to finish off Kanto (ensure he was dead) and then head for the shuttle he had prepared for his escape, a bullet struck Zestha's refractor field.
Then, this bullet erupted in a burst of energy.
Under the impact of this energy, the refractor field actually failed?!
"My refractor field?"
The moment the field vanished, a lockdown round struck his body. He found himself immobilized, just like Kanto had been moments before.
Norris deactivated his cloak and appeared before Zestha.
Looking at the bodies strewn across the floor and the two immobilized figures, Norris spoke into his communicator.
"Captain, mission accomplished. Kanto is dead. The enemy warship has completely lost its command capability. There is also an Adeptus Mechanicus Tech-Priest here; he killed Kanto. They had an internal conflict. I sense corruption from him."
Norris had been lurking here even before Zestha made his move. He had only chosen to act after seeing Zestha eliminate all the crew members.
Otherwise, it might have taken more effort.
Zestha looked at Norris before him. He hadn't detected him at all! The combat suit the figure wore actually shimmered with psychic energy.
When had the Imperium developed such warriors?
Zestha was not ready to give up. As the effect of the lockdown round gradually wore off, his body began to twitch slightly.
But Norris had no intention of giving him any chance. Holstering his C-20A, he drew his psionic blade and walked to Zestha's side.
"Don't move. Await the arrival of the great Captain."
Then, Norris dismembered Zestha's four mechanical limbs.
Meanwhile, on the lower decks, Damon's battle had ended. They had managed to delay the Forgefiend, and as more and more Raiders arrived to reinforce them, even a daemon engine as powerful as that could only meet its end under a barrage of melta grenades.
"It's over! Kanto is dead!" Lucan's voice announced over the comms.
"Dead?" Ian, on the Golden Ram's bridge, was incredulous.
"Yes, and we've captured the source of the Chaos corruption alive."
Ian found it unbelievable. How much time had passed? The enemy warship should still have had a significant number of soldiers, shouldn't it?
Ian had originally thought the boarding parties Lucan sent out were sacrificial pawns. After they destroyed critical facilities, they would be overwhelmed by the large number of soldiers on the enemy ship, and the final outcome of the battle would still be decided by the warships. But now you're telling me those boarding parties were the decisive force?
How many could they have even sent over? The enemy ship must have had at least several thousand soldiers, right? Not only did they win, but they also performed a decapitation strike?
At this moment, Lucan and his Dynasty rose several notches in Ian's estimation.
He had already decided to re-evaluate the Mongorte Dynasty in his report.
[Ally with, even at some cost.]
"Ian, could you do me a favor?" Lucan asked.
"You want my help?"
"That's right. Use your authority as an Inquisitor to help me persuade the remaining enemy warships to surrender. Their Rogue Trader has been dealt with; their will to fight is probably almost gone."
"The Inquisition cannot interfere in disputes between Dynasties."
"This is no longer a dispute between Dynasties. And I'm not asking you to do it in my name, but in the name of the Inquisition. You are to inform them that their Rogue Trader violated Imperial law by consorting with heretical knowledge! Tell them to cease resistance and submit to an investigation!"
"If that's the case, I can help you!"
Lucan knew that if he made the demand, those loyal to their Dynasty on the enemy warships might still resist.
But if an Inquisitor said it, the nature of the situation changed entirely.
Lucan didn't want any more pointless fighting. Instead of pursuing and destroying the enemy warships, he much preferred to capture them. Every warship was incredibly valuable. Not to mention the frigates, the opposing flagship, the Tyrant, alone was enough to significantly boost his strength.
Every cruiser was an immense treasure for a Rogue Trader Dynasty.
Few Dynasties could afford the loss of a cruiser.
Sure enough, when the communication request was sent to the enemy warships and the crew inside saw it was an Inquisitor, they temporarily chose to believe him. A newly risen Dynasty like Suarez, lacking deep traditions, also had fewer die-hard fanatics.
Only one stubborn frigate chose to resist. But it couldn't escape, nor could it win a fight. Ultimately, it too sank into the void.
"What a pity. That was a frigate, after all!" Lucan lamented.
(End of Chapter)