[You are dead.]
[This simulation has ended. Duration: 28 days.]
[This simulation offers retainable rewards.]
[1. Heirloom Ingeldinæ-Pattern Power Sword (Relic Quality)]
Note: "I am anger. I am steel. I am the mercy of angels."
[2. Combat Experience - Elysian Drop Troops Captain (One Month)]
Note: "Land. Fight. Get surrounded. Repeat. We're all mini-Astartes."
[3. VOSS-Pattern Valkyrie Armed Transport (Common Quality)]
Note: "Woohoo! The Valkyrie has arrived!"
Additional Note: "Friendly reminder: her size and weight far exceed your imagination."
[This simulation exceeded 24 hours. Simulator cooldown penalty is not waived.]
[Cooldown time: 28 hours]
[Currently available cooldown reduction: 289 hours]
[Consume cooldown reduction time?]
[Cooldown reduction not consumed. Simulator entering natural cooldown (can be overridden at any time).]
The simulation ended.
Nolan glanced at the simulator interface, scanning the reward options.
Then he exploded out of his chair, fists clenched, face split by a massive grin.
"Finally! A flying vehicle! Finally!"
This was it. After so many simulations, so many salvage attempts, he'd finally secured a proper transport from the Imperium of Man. Not some small equipment or weapon. An actual vehicle. Something that could carry him and his growing operation anywhere they needed to go.
He sprinted from his bedroom, taking the stairs down to the base three at a time.
The base hall was empty when Nolan arrived, lit only by overhead fixtures that cast everything in stark white light. No sign of David anywhere.
Nolan pulled up the simulator interface again, eyes lingering on the power sword and combat experience rewards. Both valuable. Both useful.
But the Valkyrie...
He selected the third option without further hesitation.
Reality rippled.
Before him, materializing from nothing, a Valkyrie assault carrier emerged into existence. Desert camouflage paint scheme, weathered but well-maintained. The machine spirit within hummed quietly, content in its new environment.
Nolan's grin returned, wider than before.
He circled the aircraft slowly, taking in every detail. Based on visual estimation alone, the craft stood roughly five meters tall. The fuselage stretched nineteen meters from nose to tail, and the wings, swept back like a raptor's, matched that span almost exactly.
Massive turbofan engines mounted at the wing roots dominated the side profile. Thrust-vectoring nozzles, capable of vertical takeoff and landing, gave the Valkyrie its legendary versatility.
Over ten tons of Imperial engineering. Beautiful. Deadly. And entirely his.
"Who doesn't love big planes?" Nolan muttered to himself, still grinning like an idiot. "Especially when they're yours."
He moved to the rear of the aircraft and ran his hands over the hull, searching for the access controls. After some fumbling, he found the right sequence. Hydraulics hissed. The rear ramp lowered with mechanical precision, revealing the troop compartment within.
Nolan stepped inside.
The cargo bay was spacious, designed to carry a full squad of Imperial Guard with equipment. Bench seating lined both walls. Mounting points for heavy weapons. Storage compartments for ammunition and supplies. Everything a military transport needed.
He made his way forward to the cockpit, his smile never fading.
The pilot's seat was surprisingly comfortable. Imperial design philosophy usually sacrificed comfort for functionality, but the Guard needed their pilots alert and capable on long missions.
Nolan settled into the seat and wrapped his hands around the control sticks.
Then reality reasserted itself.
He had absolutely no idea how to fly this thing.
He'd ridden in Valkyries during simulations. Jumped out of them, even. But piloting? That was a completely different skill set.
His smile froze, then faded entirely.
"Damn it."
He sighed and pulled out his phone.
"David? If you're not busy, could you return to the base hall?" He paused. "You'll understand why when you get here."
Nolan gave the controls one last wistful stroke, then climbed out of the cockpit.
Ten minutes later, classical music drifted through the underground passages. Bach, if Nolan's ear was correct. The piece cut off abruptly as David emerged into the hall.
The automaton's optical sensors swept the room, found Nolan, then tracked left to the Valkyrie.
David froze mid-step.
The blue glow from his sensors intensified, pulsing as he processed what he was seeing.
Then he rushed forward with surprising speed for something made of metal, his movements almost eager.
He stopped before Nolan and executed a formal bow.
"Praise the Omnissiah," David said, his mechanical voice carrying genuine awe. "My lord, is this miracle of your making?"
Nolan blinked, momentarily thrown by the religious overtones. "Uh, yes. David, can you fly this thing?"
David's head tilted upward, sensors focusing on Nolan's face.
"My lord, would you prefer truth or comfortable fiction?"
"Truth or... what?" Nolan frowned. "Just tell me straight."
David's metal hands spread in a gesture of honesty.
"The truth is this: during humanity's Golden Age, I was a construction automaton. I can solve any architectural challenge, manipulate any building material, optimize any structural system. But piloting transport aircraft? That was never in my original programming."
"And the comfortable fiction?"
"I can learn." David straightened, his posture somehow conveying confidence despite being a metal frame. "Once I fully analyze this aircraft's mechanical systems, interface with its machine spirit, and study the principles of aerodynamic flight, piloting it should prove no more difficult than operating contemporary human aircraft. Possibly easier, given Imperial over-engineering."
His tone carried something that might have been pride. Or anticipation. With synthetic voices, it was hard to tell.
Nolan felt his smile return. He reached out and clapped David on the shoulder, metal ringing under his palm.
"That's what I wanted to hear. Study hard, David. Because you're going to teach me how to fly this beast."
He turned toward the exit. "I need to check on Jessica. Catch up with you later."
David watched him go, then turned back to the Valkyrie. His sensors swept over the aircraft in detailed scans, already beginning the process of understanding every system, every component, every line of code in the machine spirit's consciousness.
"Come now, beautiful," David murmured. "Let me see what secrets you hold inside..."
The medical room smelled exactly like a hospital. Antiseptic and medicine, mixed together into that distinctive clinical scent that brought back memories of injury and recovery.
Jessica lay on an expensive multi-function medical bed, wearing a simple hospital gown, absorbed in her phone. Her short black hair was still mussed from sleep.
The moment Nolan's large frame filled the doorway, she jumped and tried to hide the device. Like a student caught slacking off by a teacher.
Nolan had already seen her scrambling. He couldn't help but smile.
"Jessica," he said, his tone gentle but amused. "This is an operational base, not a military prison with strict regulations. I'm not that harsh. You're allowed to have downtime."
Jessica's face, still showing fading bruises from training, flushed with embarrassment. She offered an awkward smile.
She seemed different today. Lighter, somehow. Her mental state had clearly improved from when she'd first arrived, hollow-eyed and desperate.
"Sorry, boss," she said quietly. "I just... I don't want to waste time. You've given me so much. I should be working harder."
Nolan approached the bed, his expression softening. "How are you recovering? Honestly."
Jessica rolled her neck experimentally, testing her range of motion.
"The injuries are healing well. David's medical equipment is way beyond anything I could have afforded." She paused, something thoughtful crossing her face. "Actually, I think the trauma might have done something interesting. I feel like there's more I can do with my powers now. Like they're stronger, or I understand them better. Room for growth, you know?"
Nolan studied her with renewed interest. "If you're comfortable sharing, I'd like to hear more about that. I don't know much about how metahuman abilities work. The mechanics of it."
Jessica's expression brightened. A hint of mischief sparked in her eyes.
"Of course, boss. You're the one paying for my food, clothes, and this fancy bed. Least I can do is explain my skill set."
She shifted into a more comfortable position, clearly settling in for a longer conversation.
"So, let me tell you about what I can actually do..."