Nareth used the Dice of Prophecy. This time, he had 3 possible had three possible directions for divination.
First, just like the earlier divinations for Mordian and Catachan, he could seek out special worlds that the Imperium had not yet discovered, occupying these strategically valuable planets would give him an edge.
Among them, it can be divided into two subcategories.
Recruitment worlds, most suitable for the various Chapters which still needed to be brought into compliance.
Forge Worlds and Knight Worlds. Discovering these before the Imperium did would allow Nareth to stand as the Imperium's representative when signing treaties and contracts.
Second, the worlds that held STCs.
Nareth knew of some locations where STCs lay hidden, but he did not possess the star charts to reach them. He would need to divine those charts. Securing these STCs would both advance his Legion's technology and give him bargaining chips, much like how Attack Moon had been traded with Mechanicum Forge Wolrd Graia.
The Mechanicum core mission was the pursuit of knowledge, and its ultimate task was to uncover or restore usable Standard Template Constructs.
Horus Lupercal had secured the loyalty of some Mechanicum factions not only because of their resentment toward the Emperor's restrictions, but also because the Auritan Technocracy had provided him with two STCs, vital bargaining tools.
These first two directions shared one common point: anything discovered during the Great Crusade could be taken, but only by acting first.
The third direction was more unusual, places like the Black Library and worlds that produced rare potion ingredients.
Nareth weighed all these factors, his mind racing.
Posul and the Steelblade STC, which were not discovered until after the Great Crusade, were eliminated.
For those discovered during the Crusade, he ranked them by value and timing.
In the end, one name remained in his thoughts: Nova Borilia.
Here, the xenos Nomans had enslaved humanity since the Age of Strife.
The eyes of the Nomans were a main ingredient for the potion of the Sequence 8 "Telephatist," part of the Vissionary pathway.
During the Great Crusade, the Space Wolves purged the Nomans, later uncovering an STC for a battle tank in the ruins.
That tank was named after the Wolves' Primarch, becoming the Leman Russ Battle Tank, the future mainstay of the Astra Militarum.
Though not widely adopted by the Astartes, apart from the Wolves, who retained a variant called the Leman Russ Exterminator, the tank was of immense value, both as a trade item with the Mechanicum and as reliable, easily produced firepower for auxiliary troops.
The Crusade had once equipped Imperial Army auxiliaries with these tanks, even if not at the same scale as in the later Astra Militarum.
Nareth tapped the table, frowning. He did not know when exactly the Wolves would arrive to cleanse the Nomans, or if any existed outside Nova Borilia.
He decided: 'I must strike before the Wolves, claim the Nomans' eyes, and secure the "Telephatist" ingredient.'
Leaving the Dionysian Spear in the armory, he entered the Kingdom of Disorder and retrieved the Dice of Prophecy.
He recalled everything he knew:
Xeno race the Nomans.
Enslaved humans.
An STC for battle tanks.
Then he focused his will: The star chart from Vostroya to Nova Borilia.
He repeated the thought eleven times, then cast the die.
The prism tumbled in the air, landing in his palm. A holographic star chart bloomed before his eyes.
He memorized the map and recorded it onto a data crystal.
Just then, Arsena and Gabriel returned to the palace.
Turning to the Master of the Arsenal, Nareth ordered: "Gabriel, begin formation for the Legion's mechanized company, modeled after the Iron Hands, starting with the Eleventh Chapter."
He asked his Primarch's attendant: "When will the Eighth Chapter arrive in Vostroya?"
"My lord, in about two weeks."
Nareth nodded. "And Wojciech progress on Cepra Mundi?"
Arsena answered instantly, his flawless memory as a Reader serving him well: "My lord, Tech-Priest Wojciech has followed your command, rapidly developing shipyards on Cepra Mundi. The planet is rich in minerals, has billions of skilled workers, and a strong industrial base, perfect for shipbuilding. In ten years, Cepra Mundi will become one of the largest shipyards in the Segmentum Obscurus, rivaling Mars itself."
"And the starports?" Nareth pressed.
"Three major ports completed, five more under construction."
Satisfied, Nareth gave a new order: "Summon Wojciech to Vostroya."
He intended to raise the Tech-Priest's prestige within the Mechanicum. Rosicky and Gabriel were powerful, but not priests of the Machine God, there was always a wall between them and true adepts.
Wojciech, though once obscure, would be exalted if he followed Nareth in recovering an STC. Even if not the central figure, he would be seen as favored by the Omnissiah.
Two weeks later, the fleet of the Eighth Chapter arrived.
After confirming that Thierry Vieira had digested his potion, Nareth used the Nekuli's Whisperlance and Viskeons arm and blade to brew the "Weapon Master" potion, raising Thierry to Sequence 7.
"Your Chapter will accompany me to Nova Borilia," Nareth declared.
The Nomans' eyes hinted at psychic abilities. Thus, warriors of the Red Priest pathway, able to blunt supernatural effects with their sheer bodies, were the right weapon against them.
He shared the ritual process directly into Thierry's mind. Thierry, understanding, quietly thought: 'Father, the Monarch is the Black Emperor.'
But he quickly calmed himself. From the day he had pledged loyalty, he had offered all his faith. To him, "Monarch" and "Black Emperor" were only different names for the same truth.
As Thierry began constructing an altar, Nareth raised Buca and others from "Warrior" to "Pugilist."
A week later, Wojciech arrived. After confirming his digestion of the "Savant" potion, Nareth advanced him to "Archaeologist." Yet, he held back the truth of the Black Emperor, knowing Wojciech's faith to the Omnissiah, it was not yet time.
Finally, Nareth ordered the fleet to depart.
During the five-week voyage, Thierry and Buca who had succeeded Robin as first company captain performed the ritual together.
When they emerged from warp and reached Nova Boirlia, Arsena reported the auspex results:
"My lord, there is only one habitable planet in this system. Life signs are dense, at least several hundred million living beings populate the world."
He highlighted the planet with his control staff.
Nareth used the Dice of Prophecy. This time, he had 3 possible had three possible directions for divination.
First, just like the earlier divinations for Mordian and Catachan, he could seek out special worlds that the Imperium had not yet discovered. Occupying these strategically valuable planets would give him an edge.
Among them, it can be divided into two subcategories.
Recruitment worlds, most suitable for the various Chapters which still needed to be brought into compliance.
Forge Worlds and Knight Worlds. Discovering these before the Imperium did would allow Nareth to stand as the Imperium's representative when signing treaties and contracts.
Second, the worlds that held STCs.
Nareth knew of some locations where STCs lay hidden, but he did not possess the star charts to reach them. He would need to divine those charts. Securing these STCs would both advance his Legion's technology and give him bargaining chips, much like how Attack Moon had been traded with Mechanicum Forge World Graia.
The Mechanicum's core mission was the pursuit of knowledge, and its ultimate task was to uncover or restore usable Standard Template Constructs.
Horus Lupercal had secured the loyalty of some Mechanicum factions not only because of their resentment toward the Emperor's restrictions, but also because the Auritan Technocracy had provided him with two STCs, vital bargaining tools.
These first two directions shared one common point: anything discovered during the Great Crusade could be taken, but only by acting first.
The third direction was more unusual, places like the Black Library and worlds that produced rare potion ingredients.
Nareth weighed all these factors, his mind racing.
Posul and the Steelblade STC, which were not discovered until after the Great Crusade, were eliminated.
For those discovered during the Crusade, he ranked them by value and timing.
In the end, one name remained in his thoughts: Nova Borilia.
Here, the xenos Nomans had enslaved humanity since the Age of Strife.
The eyes of the Nomans were a main ingredient for the potion of the Sequence 8 "Telephatist," part of the Visionary pathway.
During the Great Crusade, the Space Wolves purged the Nomans, later uncovering an STC for a battle tank in the ruins.
That tank was named after the Wolves' Primarch, becoming the Leman Russ Battle Tank, the future mainstay of the Astra Militarum.
Though not widely adopted by the Astartes, apart from the Wolves, who retained a variant called the Leman Russ Exterminator, the tank was of immense value, both as a trade item with the Mechanicum and as reliable, easily produced firepower for auxiliary troops.
The Crusade had once equipped Imperial Army auxiliaries with these tanks, even if not at the same scale as in the later Astra Militarum.
Nareth tapped the table, frowning. He did not know when exactly the Wolves would arrive to cleanse the Nomans, or if any existed outside Nova Borilia.
He decided: 'I must strike before the Wolves, claim the Nomans' eyes, and secure the "Telephatist" ingredient.'
Leaving the Dionysian Spear in the armory, he entered the Kingdom of Disorder and retrieved the Dice of Prophecy.
He recalled everything he knew:
Xeno race the Nomans.
Enslaved humans.
An STC for battle tanks.
Then he focused his will: The star chart from Vostroya to Nova Borilia.
He repeated the thought eleven times, then cast the die.
The prism tumbled in the air, landing in his palm. A holographic star chart bloomed before his eyes.
He memorized the map and recorded it onto a data crystal.
Just then, Arsena and Gabriel returned to the palace.
Turning to the Master of the Arsenal, Nareth ordered: "Gabriel, begin formation for the Legion's mechanized company, modeled after the Iron Hands, starting with the Eleventh Chapter."
He asked his Primarch's attendant: "When will the Eighth Chapter arrive in Vostroya?"
"My lord, in about two weeks."
Nareth nodded. "And Wojciech progress on Cepra Mundi?"
Arsena answered instantly, his flawless memory as a Reader serving him well: "My lord, Tech-Priest Wojciech has followed your command, rapidly developing shipyards on Cepra Mundi. The planet is rich in minerals, has billions of skilled workers, and a strong industrial base, perfect for shipbuilding. In ten years, Cepra Mundi will become one of the largest shipyards in the Segmentum Obscurus, rivaling Mars itself."
"And the starports?" Nareth pressed.
"Three major ports completed, five more under construction."
Satisfied, Nareth gave a new order: "Summon Wojciech to Vostroya."
He intended to raise the Tech-Priest's prestige within the Mechanicum. Rosicky and Gabriel were powerful, but not priests of the Machine God; there was always a wall between them and true adepts.
Wojciech, though once obscure, would be exalted if he followed Nareth in recovering an STC. Even if not the central figure, he would be seen as favored by the Omnissiah.
Two weeks later, the fleet of the Eighth Chapter arrived.
After confirming that Thierry Vieira had digested his potion, Nareth used the Nekuli's Whisperlance and Viskeons arm and blade to brew the "Weapon Master" potion, raising Thierry to Sequence 7.
"Your Chapter will accompany me to Nova Borilia," Nareth declared.
The Nomans' eyes hinted at psychic abilities. Thus, warriors of the Red Priest pathway, able to blunt supernatural effects with their sheer bodies, were the right weapon against them.
He shared the ritual process directly into Thierry's mind. Thierry, understanding, quietly thought: 'Father, the Monarch is the Black Emperor.'
But he quickly calmed himself. From the day he had pledged loyalty, he had offered all his faith. To him, "Monarch" and "Black Emperor" were only different names for the same truth.
As Thierry began constructing an altar, Nareth raised Buca and others from "Warrior" to "Pugilist."
A week later, Wojciech arrived. After confirming his digestion of the "Savant" potion, Nareth advanced him to "Archaeologist." Yet, he held back the truth of the Black Emperor, knowing Wojciech's faith in the Omnissiah, it was not yet time.
Finally, Nareth ordered the fleet to depart.
During the five-week voyage, Thierry and Buca, who had succeeded Robin as first company captain, performed the ritual together.
When they emerged from warp and reached Nova Boirlia, Arsena reported the auspex results:
"My lord, there is only one habitable planet in this system. Life signs are dense; at least several hundred million living beings populate the world."
He highlighted the planet with his control staff.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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