If it were another type of Black Ship, then it wouldn't be strange for Silent Sisters to be on board.
Although after the Great Rebellion, the Custodes, those reclusive golden corn, stayed in the Imperial Palace and didn't come out, leading to the Silent Sisters being ostracized from Holy Terra due to their untouchable nature, and the entire Sisterhood of Silence also disintegrated for various reasons, the Silent Sisters did not disappear from the Imperium's history.
Though they had been forgotten, and many orders had lost their lineage due to a lack of funding and personnel, a group of Silent Sisters still remained active in various Imperial organizations.
Among them, the Black Ship fleet, subordinate to the Astropathic Choir, is currently the only known organization to maintain organized units of Silent Sisters.
These Silent Sisters, who were part of the Chamber Astra of the Sisterhood of Silence before the Great Rebellion, still serve the Black Ship fleet, responsible for collecting Psykers as tithe from all Imperial Worlds across the galaxy.
They would arrive at various Imperial Worlds, then load and transport the collected Psykers until their assigned Black Ship was full, after which they would deliver the Psykers on board back to Holy Terra for selection by various Imperial departments that required Psykers.
Grey Knights, Astropathic Choir, Department of Internal Affairs, Department of Military Affairs, Inquisition… all Imperial departments have a considerable demand for Psykers, and among them, the greatest demand for Psykers comes from the Astronomican, as a thousand are burned daily to maintain its operation.
Although the Silent Sisters have been forgotten by the Imperium, they continue to serve the Imperium in this manner.
It's just that the Black Ships of the Black Ship fleet are specifically for transporting Psykers, and are not the same as Inquisition Black Ships.
So how did an Inquisition Black Ship have such a rare item as a Silent Sister? —
"The previous owner of this ship found me and offered to sponsor my order in exchange for me becoming his acolyte," a young Sister translated to Alex, while an older Sister beside her continuously signed.
Upon hearing the Sister's explanation, Alex couldn't help but marvel at how wild the previous owner of this Black Ship's methods truly were.
The ship not only contained various ancient technological artifacts, but he could even abduct two Silent Sisters, although one of them seemed to be an Apprentice Sister who hadn't yet taken the Vow of Silence.
"This ship has now been entrusted to my use by the Inquisition. Sister, are you still willing to remain on board, or serve me?" Alex didn't like beating around the bush, and for these Silent Sisters, forgotten by the Imperium for ten thousand years, sweet talk wouldn't dispel their ten thousand years of resentment.
After all, the Custodes Marshal had been verbally abused by them through sign language for over an hour without daring to speak.
"I can sign a contract with you, obtaining sponsorship and support by serving you, to ensure my order can be passed down and continue the responsibility of the Silent Sisters." This Silent Sister, capable of serving an Inquisitor, seemed not to mind continuing to serve Alex, but she also emphasized her need for sponsorship and support.
Alex understood the Silent Sister's request and nodded, saying, "I will provide you with sufficient support. Of course, you can also search for new untouchables on the planets under my jurisdiction to replenish your order.
Although there's no direct evidence, this galaxy is about to undergo a massive change. I hope more Silent Sisters can return to the Imperium's sight. The future needs you."
The Great Rift, which would open thirty years later, would bring immense threats to the entire galaxy. If there could be a Silent Sister unit to handle various Warp-related issues, that would naturally be ideal.
Although Alex did have Silent Sister pieces in his hand, they were classified as being on the same level as the Custodes, requiring Alex to have at least V-level authority to deploy them. Therefore, being able to directly recruit a Silent Sister unit right now was undoubtedly excellent.
"I will contact other orders I can reach, but they need help." This Silent Sister did not refuse Alex's request, merely stating that it would cost money.
"That's easy to say. Whether it's Vratine Armor or Executioner Greatswords, I will find a way to prepare these for you. You can even build a fortress on my planet to train new Silent Sisters." Alex was quite invested in this matter. Although Silent Sisters could also use other equipment and various ranged weapons, including Bolters, their most iconic weapons were the Executioner Greatsword and their superb martial arts, which even the Custodes would praise.
As for the source of these two pieces of equipment, Alex felt his points should be enough to exchange for their STC Template, and then he would figure out how to produce them in small batches.
After all, Vratine Armor wasn't the Custodes' set custom-made with auramite; while slightly different from a regular Space Marine's Power Armor, it wasn't ridiculously expensive. Alex could still manage to forge them himself with some effort.
(Silent Sister Vigilator Squads, by the way, their masks are nailed to their skulls)
(Early Battle Sister concept art, this is a unit called the Penitent, specifically for executing those who harbored Psykers)
(Early Battle Sister concept art, with a strong artistic style that laid the foundation for early warhammer's art style and artistic tone)
(The three Silent Sister leaders during the Great Crusade, namely the Sisterhood Commander for external affairs, the Lady of the Black Ship for tithes, and the Avenging Retribution for internal security)
If all else failed, exchanging them with points wasn't out of the question. After all, there were only two Silent Sisters present, one of whom was an Acolyte, similar to an Apprentice Sister. He could afford two sets of equipment.
"This is excellent. My order and I haven't received supplies of Vratine Armor and Executioner Greatswords in a very long time." This Silent Sister seemed very pleased to be able to obtain supplies truly belonging to a Silent Sister.
Alex listened as the Acolyte beside her translated, and he was very satisfied with the Silent Sister's cooperation.
After all, their existence was an absolute natural enemy to both Psykers and Chaos Demons; a small squad of Silent Sisters could even turn a Great Demon into a weakling once they deployed their Void Field.
When Guilliman returned to Holy Terra, during his great battle with the one-eyed sunburned Ogryn on the Moon, the large number of deployed Silent Sisters even prevented the Rainbow Pony from unleashing psychic powers, demonstrating their strength.
However, thinking of this, Alex suddenly discovered a blind spot: "Have you restrained your Void Field? As a Psyker, I don't feel uncomfortable."
"Inquisitor, are you truly a Psyker? Or rather, are you truly the role you are playing?" However, the Silent Sister before him did not answer Alex's question, but instead asked him a profound question in return.
Damn it! I forgot that in the eyes of these Silent Sisters, Huang Lao Han was just a big guy from Central Asia, and my true appearance was probably directly exposed before them!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.