In the governor's palace reception room, Alex and the two Sages took their seats. Donia's chair groaned under her weight but held.
Ovilia couldn't resist a jab. "You should install an anti-grav core. Your implants will crush a chair someday. Or do you even have a backside anymore?"
Seeing Ovilia's hostility, Alex cut in before Donia could respond. "Ovilia, can you ease up? I'd like to talk with Sage Donia."
Ovilia huffed, turning away but staying silent.
"I don't mind," Donia said, defending Ovilia. "We've known each other since childhood. Our bickering doesn't mean we're not close."
"Who's close to you?" Ovilia snapped but didn't deny their bond.
Alex shrugged, uninterested in meddling in their relationship.
His focus was on forging cooperation between Rostov II and Mariupol Forge World.
Though he'd considered hiring Tech-Priests from Griffin IV, that was a fallback if Mariupol refused to cooperate.
If Mariupol agreed to provide enough priests, Griffin IV wouldn't be needed.
Alex didn't regret his choices. Griffin IV faced destruction by Tyranids in a decade. Though its priests escaped with valuable STCs, the loss crippled their influence, reducing them from a rival to major factions like Ryza or Lucius to mere survivors.
For Alex, this was advantageous. Hiring Griffin IV's priests would limit their sway on his world, turning a powerful forge world faction into refugees. If lucky, he might even recruit their remnants post-destruction—a massive gain.
But that was a distant plan; Griffin IV remained a key Mechanicus forge world for now.
The immediate challenge was avoiding academic disputes between Mechanicus factions, especially with Mariupol's Sage at his door.
"Sage Donia, forgive my bluntness. If Mariupol declined my agent's offer, why are you here?" Alex asked, seizing the moment as the Sages' bickering subsided.
"I'm here for two matters: one official, one personal," Donia replied, nodding slightly. "The personal matter can wait. For the official: my teacher is willing to cooperate with Rostov II and you, Governor, and invest in your sub-sector development. I'm here to finalize that agreement."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? When I sent Merlin to Mariupol, you showed little interest. I'm short on Tech-Priests and was considering hiring from elsewhere—Griffin IV, perhaps. What do you think?"
His words caught Donia off guard. "Have you already partnered with Griffin IV?" she asked, her tone shifting.
The news stung. Though her teacher, the Fabricator-General, saw the deal as minor, it was valuable to Donia. She hadn't prioritized Merlin's offer, assuming such projects took years in the Imperium.
She hadn't expected Alex to pivot to another forge world so quickly.
Losing this deal would devastate her, though her removed tear ducts couldn't show it.
"Not yet, but Mariupol wasn't interested, was it?" Alex said, a smirk forming. The market favored him now.
"I've convinced my teacher. I'm in charge now, and Mariupol is ready to cooperate," Donia said earnestly.
Alex watched her, waiting.
Knowing he expected an offer, Donia sighed. "For Tech-Priests, I'll provide a team at a friendly price—Ovilia's former apprentices and priests. Mariupol's been unsure what to do with them. This clears our issue."
"That's you offloading a problem," Alex countered. "Let's be frank. Rostov II needs an orbital ring for defense and a small shipyard for sub-sector development. If we reach an agreement, Mariupol can handle both. Show me your sincerity, Sage Donia."
(End of Chapter)
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