After reading the product information provided by Gamma, the Ultramarines suddenly found the "Weapon-Bug" in Captain Ventris's hand to be quite uniquely ugly, and upon closer inspection, even a little "cute," especially its constantly wiggling mouth, which seemed very powerful.
"Captain, I saw in the material that when the Weapon-Bug actively extends its mouth from the sword, it means it's hungry."
"Ah, so it retracts once it's fed?" Ventris hastily asked.
"The instructions say so, Captain, didn't you read them?"
Ventris certainly hadn't read them. He had only just recovered from the shock the Weapon-Bug had given him. He said, "What does it eat?"
"It says to put ordinary food near its mouth, or blend it into a paste for faster feeding."
Hearing this, Ventris quickly called for his attendants, instructing them to prepare "feed." Fortunately, the attendants had starch sticks for hunger relief, so they immediately made a paste-like feed and spoon-fed it to the Weapon-Bug. After eating its fill, the Weapon-Bug indeed retracted its mouth and covered itself with "yan" for protection.
Seeing this, the Ultramarines gave the Weapon-Bug another 50 points. They believed it was a self-aware, sensible weapon that knew to hide its flaws. Even Ventris was no longer so repulsed by the sword after witnessing this.
"How about trying it out, Captain Ventris?"
"Let's go to the training ground."
When the fleet once again emerged from the Warp for rest, and to wait for the slow T'au, Gamma received the evaluation report from Ventris. Overall, the Ultramarines were very satisfied with the results. Aside from the inconvenience of having to wipe the sword and clean the Weapon-Bug's excretions daily, he found no other shortcomings.
Gamma had anticipated this negative feedback after reading the report, but he had no better solution. Only a Pixiu eats without excreting, and he couldn't create such a mythical beast. However, what surprised him was that he had expected two negative comments, and was unexpected that "feeding" hadn't received one.
Since the product had passed evaluation, the next step was mass production. This required him to visit the Ultramarines' battle barge to ask if Chapter Master Calgar and Grand Inquisitor Gais were willing to place orders.
But when Calgar opened his mouth, he immediately asked if the Mother-Bug was for sale, a request that greatly angered the young Tech-priest. Which Tech-Priest would sell core technology?
"Magos Gamma, the Empire needs this technology."
"I think it's the Ultramarines who need it."
"Heh heh, it's all the same," Calgar said with a hint of embarrassment.
Gamma rolled his eyes and said, "There are only a thousand of you in total. What use would buying a Mother-Bug be?"
"We are Ultramarines, and three-quarters of the Empire's Chapters come from us. Of course, we must support our struggling brothers."
Gamma didn't believe a word of this. He felt that this tough Chapter Master, who had tricked Ventris into a tumor, must be dark inside if you cut him open. After some thought, Gamma decided to probe, saying:
"The Mother-Bug will not be sold, but we can cooperate. I can entrust the Mother-Bug to your Ultramarines Chapter, and you can be responsible for production and sales on Macragge. This would also be my contribution to Macragge, as I am, after all, half a Macragge native."
Calgar's eyes lit up, and he immediately smiled and said, "Magos Gamma is a Macragge native; no one in the entire Empire can refute that point."
Confirming his suspicions, Gamma's gaze towards Calgar grew even more unkind. He said irritably, "Chapter Master Calgar, is it really necessary? You are managing the 500 Worlds of Ultramar for Lord Regent Guilliman."
To Gamma's surprise, upon hearing his words, Calgar seemed to recall something painful, his face etched with profound bitterness. He let out a long sigh and said:
"Do you think I want to? Tyranid invasions, Black Legion invasions, the Terra Crusade, the Indomitus Crusade, the Plague Wars—and that's not even counting the trouble little bastards like Honsou caused the 500 Worlds of Ultramar. Which one of those didn't bleed the 500 Worlds dry? Ultramar is prosperous, but there are only 500 Worlds."
"Uh—"
"Our father, as the Regent of the Empire, needs to consider the interests of the entire Empire. At the same time, his every move will spark countless conjectures and discussions. To silence the endless gossip, the 500 Worlds of Ultramar cannot receive preferential resources; instead, we must find ways to squeeze out resources to support other regions of the Empire."
.....
"Gamma, do you know that the living standards of Macragge residents are now even lower than during the war period over 100 years ago!"
Hearing the Ultramarines Chapter Master's lament, Gamma could only helplessly say, "Alright, alright. I'll give you the Mother-Bug. I'm not selling it to you; it's a cooperation, just as I said. But you'll have to handle Mars."
"Hahahaha, no problem! We are Ultramarines!" Calgar readily agreed.
"Yes, yes, you are Ultramarines."
"Since it's a collaboration, I suggest we start now. As the Human Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, I'll place an order with our Weapon Breeding Ground. The price will be this amount. What do you think, Magos Gamma?"
Gamma no longer wanted to argue with this Ultramarines Chapter Master, who had already fallen into "greed's trap," about what "this time" and "ours" meant. But when he stood on his tiptoes and looked at the number Calgar had written on the table, he discovered an Imperial "great corruptor," a "bug" who was pocketing Imperial resources.
"Isn't—isn't that too high?"
"Too high? This is a power weapon, and a growing power weapon at that. Is it still expensive? It's less than one-third the cost of a regular power weapon."
"But—"
"Magos Gamma, knowledge is priceless. I believe you must have invested a lot in developing this weapon!"
"But you're buying 50,000 at once. Can the Far East Command agree? Can they afford it?"
"Pay in installments, just charge a little less interest."
"How many years will that take?"
"It doesn't matter, I can wait."
"What if they keep delaying and defaulting? I think it's better to have low profits—"
"We are Ultramarines!"
After entrusting the Mother-Bug to the Ultramarines and arranging for a Priest to train the Technical Sergeants, Gamma no longer inquired about the Weapon-Bug. After all, "they are Ultramarines." Gamma's "Orthodox Gundam Project" was facing tough challenges, and he didn't have the mind to manage so much.
But when the Gear Boy, struck by a Warp tide, emerged from the Warp, they realized they were half a year late. The combined fleet had already begun fighting the Gorgon Hive Fleet.
After receiving this news from Astropath Yard, Gamma was stunned for a long time, almost suffering internal injuries. The fleet had already dispersed to intercept Gorgon's tendrils, and Gamma didn't know who to rendezvous with. Perhaps by the time he reached a location, the fleet originally there would have already warped to another position to strike the Tyranid, or worse, the fleet wouldn't be there, but the Tyranid would.
"This is the situation now. What should we do next? Let's discuss it together," Gamma said to the people he had summoned.
Among them were Magos Lauster and Jacob, Navigator Calliree and Astropath Yard, and Inquisitor Finnie, who was also late because her ship was close to the Gear Boy.
"What is Commander-in-Chief Calgar's opinion?"
"He told us to be mindful of our own safety and that they don't need our cooperation," Gamma replied.
"So that means we can act freely?"
"I think he'd rather we find a safe place to stay," Gamma said, shrugging.
"Then what are your thoughts, Magos Gamma?"
Glancing at the Inquisitor, who was now speaking with honorifics, Gamma, who was generally informal with acquaintances and felt a bit awkward after the novelty of the "playboy" wore off, said:
"Inquisitor Finnie, we've known each other for a long time. There's no need to be so formal."
"Then I'll be more casual. I hope the Magos won't mind."
"Not at all, not at all. Just call me Gamma."
The Inquisitor smiled and said, "How about we go to the planet where the trap originated? The Deathwatch is currently monitoring it, and the fleet will reassemble there after Gorgon retracts its tendrils."
"What do you all think?" Gamma asked, looking at the others.
"I think it's great. We can collect some Gene Stealers samples."
Louis's words made the other Tech-priest nod repeatedly. Then Inquisitor Finnie said something else that made the Tech-priest' eyes gleam:
"That world is an ancient Hive World. It's abandoned now, meaning that as long as you have the ability to find and transport them, all the treasures on it are yours!"
"Ohhh! Gamma, what are we waiting for?" the Oil Girl said, clenching her fists.
Although Gamma was also very interested, he still asked, "Is there any danger?"
"Does a planet full of Gene Stealers count?" the Inquisitor countered.
"They don't count, I just—" Gamma quickly stopped himself, almost exposing one of the Gear Boy's trump cards.
The Inquisitor showed no unusual reaction to Gamma's actions. She already knew how Tech-priest operated; no one knew what they were hiding unless they willingly revealed it. However, she bore no ill will towards Gamma. Whether the young Tech-Priest was hiding any "contraband" was a matter for the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Heretic Inquisitor to worry about, and had nothing to do with her as an Alien Inquisitor.
"Magos Gamma, as long as you are confident, the more confident, the better!" the Inquisitor said meaningfully.
Gamma didn't react at first, only feeling that Finnie's words were strange. After looking at her a few more times and noticing the profound meaning in the Inquisitor's eyes, he finally understood. Who would know more about "tombs" than the Alien Tribunal!
"Finnie, why are you still so polite? Call me Gamma. If you keep this up, I'll get angry, okay? We've known each other for so long; we're friends!"
"After all, I've caused you a lot of trouble in the past, so I really don't dare to call myself a friend."
"What do you mean, trouble? It's all a testament to our friendship. Later, come to my treasury and pick out two weapons for self-defense. Don't refuse; we're friends!"
"This planet is in good condition."
"Yes, it's good. It seems we'll have a significant harvest this time."
Magos Gamma heard the conversation of the Tech-priest beside him and quirked his lips speechlessly. He was currently with the ship's Tech-priest on the Gear Boy's spine, observing the target planet through a massive observation dome made of rhomboid panes and armored glass.
They had now arrived at the starting planet of the trap route—the Balat Hive World.
Looking at this "unhealthy" colored planet, Magos Gamma felt he couldn't blend in with the Tech-priest around him, who were filled with the "joy of an impending harvest." His current thought was that humans truly have a natural talent for ruining nature!
However, this thought was limited to himself. The Tech-priest' view was completely different: the heavier the pollution, the greater the harvest.
The two were directly proportional.
The reason was simple. While Hive Worlds give the impression of massive populations and harsh environments, no one would be so bored as to find a planet with a harsh environment, build steel forests on it, and then fill it with people.
Typically, after a new world is colonized, if conditions permit, that world will continuously develop into an industrial world, eventually becoming a Hive World. A Hive World is not only a city for human survival but also a massive collection of factories, providing crucial military materials, refined minerals, fuels, and various goods to other human worlds in its vicinity.
Heavier pollution means a higher degree of industrialization for that Hive World. The higher the industrialization, the more excited the Tech-priest become, as this means they can find more knowledge there. Moreover, each Hive World is a relatively independent small kingdom, with noble families ruling their mini-kingdoms for generations. They might be imperial bugs, but they are certainly not fools. To ensure their rule lasts indefinitely, they will use every means to collect all sorts of technology and treasures.
Now, such technology and treasures have become ownerless, allowing the Tech-priest to pick them at will. How could they not be happy?
After a couple of glances, Magos Gamma, having satisfied his curiosity, left the observation dome. The Deathwatch responsible for monitoring the area had already come calling, and he needed to meet them to explain his purpose and inquire about the specific situation of Balat.
Magos Gamma's understanding of the Deathwatch was that they were a group of "xeno-killing experts," but upon meeting the legendary Deathwatch, he found that these Space Marine must be the most undisciplined and pragmatic Space Marine. Otherwise, how dare they openly carry "glowing green greatswords" and "ancestral Eldar-embedded greatswords" in front of the Tech-priest?
"I want them so badly." This was the current thought of the heretical young Tech-Priest.
The squad leader, unaware of the young Tech-Priest's true thoughts, noticed Magos Gamma staring intently at his weapon and even gave it a little shake. He wanted to annoy the short guy who was causing him trouble.
Finnie secretly reminded the impatient and defiant black-armored captain: "Captain Hoffman, this is Magos Gamma, invited by Grand Inquisitor Gais to join this operation against Gorgon."
"What the—Oh, it's Magos Gamma. A pleasure to meet you."
Hoffman, who didn't know who Magos Gamma was, understood Finnie's meaning, realizing this young Tech-Priest was not simple. His expression immediately changed, all defiance gone, replaced by flattery towards Magos Gamma. Magos Gamma also came to his senses and politely responded:
"I apologize for my sudden visit and the trouble I've caused. These are some small gifts; I hope you'll accept them."
Hoffman didn't stand on ceremony, casually accepting the gifts pushed over by the apprentice. He even opened them without hesitation to see what they were.
Upon seeing a full box of premium bolter ammunition, he was even more delighted. Space Marine never complain about having too much ammunition, and certainly not about having more powerful premium ammunition.
Having received the gifts, Hoffman's attitude towards Magos Gamma became very warm. Not only did he invite Magos Gamma to visit their ship, but he also said that Magos Gamma could ask anything he wanted, and he would not hide anything he knew.
"So, you're saying Magos Gamma came to us because you got separated from your fleet?"
"Yes, after the fleet dispersed, its position is constantly changing, so chasing after it wouldn't be very meaningful."
"Then what is Magos Gamma's purpose in coming here?" After Hoffman said this, although his movements and expression remained wild and casual, his eyes never left Magos Gamma's face.
"Nowhere to go, so we came here to wait for the fleet to reassemble and also to seek some treasure."
Hoffman evidently hadn't expected such a casual answer, nor did he detect any hint of deceit from the other party. In his hundreds of years of life, it was the first time he had encountered a Tech-Priest without a clear objective. However, knowing that Magos Gamma wouldn't affect the mission was enough.
"Then I wish Magos Gamma an early success in your endeavors."
"Thank you. What is the current situation on Balat, Captain Hoffman?" Magos Gamma asked.
Since there was no conflict, Hoffman didn't mind doing Magos Gamma a favor. He truthfully said, "The Gene Stealers have already occupied all the Hive Worlds. Besides a few hidden survivors, this place has completely fallen."
Hoffman's answer made Magos Gamma frown. He hadn't expected there to be survivors still stubbornly clinging to life.
Finnie and Hoffman both noticed Magos Gamma's change. Unlike Hoffman's confusion, Finnie understood why Magos Gamma was like this. She advised, "There's no extra strength to save those survivors. Saving them would mean sacrificing more people!"
"Phew…"
Magos Gamma exhaled, smiled at Finnie, and said, "It's okay, I know."
He understood that even though he could easily destroy this world, finding and rescuing these survivors in a Hive World full of cunning individuals was an impossible task, unless he disregarded the combined fleet's plan and killed all the cunning individuals on Balat. But then what? Let the Gorgon Hive Fleet freely devour other planets?
No longer thinking about these vexing matters, Magos Gamma asked Hoffman the question he cared about most:
"Captain Hoffman, have the orbital defense weapons on the Balat Hive World not fallen into the hands of the Gene Stealers?"
He asked this question because he was well aware of the power of ground-based orbital defense weapons, which only consider destructive power and not weight or volume. Even the Gear Boy's reinforced void shields would overload after a few hits. This was a matter concerning the lives of everyone on the ship, so he had to clarify it.
"No, after realizing the situation on Balat was irreversible, the Inquisitor in charge here decisively destroyed the planetary defense cannons and space elevators on several Hive Worlds. Unfortunately, he himself sacrificed his life in the operation," Hoffman said.
"A truly respectable sacrifice. May his soul return to the Golden Throne."
"The spirits of brave warriors shall surely drink the mead of victory beside the Allfather."
Once they confirmed that Magos Gamma would not affect their mission, the Deathwatch quickly departed. The Deathwatch's mission here was to ensure that no Gene Stealers escaped this planet, and to prevent any uninformed Imperial warships passing by from bombing the world and impacting the plan.
Although Hoffman had given his assurance, Magos Gamma still asked Finnie to help him retrieve the records concerning Balat from the Deathwatch. He couldn't truly rest assured without personally verifying such matters. The Inquisitor did not refuse; distrusting others was an occupational hazard for all Inquisitors, and new Inquisitors were no exception.
After Finnie left with the Deathwatch, Magos Gamma officially notified all Tech-priest to prepare. Everyone on the ship, including the apprentices, cheered excitedly.
None of the Tech-priest who dared to join the Adeptus Mechanicus exploration fleet were timid. They knew very well what awaited them after leaving Thedan: venturing into unexplored, savage star sectors, and even areas on the fringes or beyond the Astronomican. Their entire life's meaning would be to fight countless vicious xenos and fallen heretics, and to defend and unearth the lost sacred knowledge of the Omnissiah.
Although Magos Gamma's generosity had satisfied their thirst for knowledge, their battle lust to destroy the Omnissiah's enemies had never been appeased. Now, finally, they could let the xenos know what the Omnissiah's wrath was!
Magos Gamma didn't know that his Tech-priest and apprentices had all gone rogue. After giving his orders, he himself started to feel anxious. He didn't want the people following him to lose their lives because of his casual decisions. After much deliberation, he decided to activate a trump card.
"Out with the old, in with the new. With my talent, am I afraid of running out of trump cards?!"
Magos Gamma, alone in the Gear Boy's hidden vault, muttered to himself while frantically operating the anti-theft lock he had designed. After a good while of fiddling, the vault door, which hadn't been opened since the trump card was stored inside, slowly opened on its own. Sensing their master's presence, the sealed killing machines awoke one by one.
When Finnie returned to the Gear Boy after organizing all the data on Balat from the Death Guard, she found that all the Tech-priest on the ship were doing the same lewd thing: groping the castellan robots next to them. These castellan robots, in addition to issuing warnings, occasionally discharged electricity, making the Tech-priest who were sticking their tentacles into their bodies, wanting to have close contact with them, foam at the mouth.
"Warning, your actions have exceeded the authority granted to you by Magos Gamma. Please stop immediately, or punishment will be administered."
"Hehehe, little darling, Priest is coming for you!"
"Crackle, crackle, crackle—"
"Ah ah — — — — . — Ah — — — . So stimulating — —"
Finnie, passing by another "lewd" Tech-Priest who had been electrocuted, suppressed the urge to kick the Tech-Priest and left. She needed to quickly find Magos Gamma. Having been ordered by Grand Inquisitor Gais to catch up on information about the Adeptus Mechanicus, Finnie was no longer the ignorant girl she once was. She now clearly understood what she was seeing: these were castellan robots, these were the Adeptus Mechanicus's Tech-Guard!
When Inquisitor Finnie found Gamma, he was busy explaining to Magos Lauster that his castellan robots "absolutely had no problems." In fact, Magos Lauster hadn't questioned the sudden appearance of several castellan robot brigades; this scene was purely due to Gamma's own guilty conscience.
Because as long as a certain hidden button on his castellan robots was pressed in a specific rhythm, or if they received an encrypted code sent at a special frequency, they would... "I just upgraded the castellan robots' performance. Although their appearance is a bit different from other castellan robots, they are still controlled by doctrinal chips."
"Although I also improved the performance of the doctrinal chips, I didn't change the framework of the Guard Protocol, Conquest Protocol, or Slaughter Protocol."
"…"
"I just 'slightly' optimized the protocol content to make the castellan robots more flexible, but the castellan robots will absolutely not perform actions outside of the protocol."
"Alright, alright, I know. It's good that you have it under control," Magos Lauster said, rather helplessly. He was now wondering if he had been too strict with Gamma.
"Hmm, it's not that I'm explaining this to you, Magos, because I have a guilty conscience. I just don't want you to worry," the guilty little Tech-Priest said, speaking against his true feelings. Just then, he saw Finnie walking quickly towards them and quickly greeted her, hoping to change the subject.
"Inquisitor Finnie, what took you so long to return?"
Unfortunately, the diversion failed, because Finnie immediately asked, "Gamma, what's going on with those castellan robots?"
"Haha, I was just worried about the Priests and apprentices being in danger, so I arranged some castellan robots to act as bodyguards for them," Gamma explained, a bit awkwardly.
"Whew, I thought you were…"
Gamma interrupted Finnie, saying, "Don't worry, I know the importance of the plan. We, the Adeptus Mechanicus, are professionals in protective excavation. We'll definitely conduct a thorough investigation before taking action."
The Inquisitor, who already knew what kind of characters Tech-priest were, simply rolled her eyes at Gamma's words and unceremoniously handed him the documents in her hand.
Taking the compiled documents from Finnie, Gamma eagerly began to read. The information was very detailed, documenting the Gene Stealers' rebellion on Balat from its beginning to the present. As Gamma flipped through the documents, he noticed that there was more than one recorder, as the writing styles were distinctly different. He didn't know how these recorders were doing now, only hoping they were well.
After finishing the documents and confirming that there were no weapons on Balat that could threaten the Gear Boy, Gamma, for once, acted boldly. He had the Gear Boy, with its void shield active, stop directly in the planet's low orbit, hovering right above the Hive World where the planetary governor's palace was located.
After doing all this, Gamma, who had worked himself into a frenzy, expected a thrilling adventure, but everyone else was busy, and he had nothing to do. His backside hadn't moved much since he sat on the mechanical throne.
Magos Lauster, along with Paul and a group of archaeologically experienced Tech-priest, infiltrated the deepest parts of Balat's still-operating data network by hacking into it, digging for any technological information from the ground up.
This was to deduce and uncover the world's advanced past, and through this method, locate any potentially lost technology on Balat.
Command was handled by Ed and his Logis, who were responsible for integrating and analyzing the data sent back by the reconnaissance team, predicting and arranging the next steps, and coordinating the ready personnel and supplies on the ship.
Leia and Louis had already descended into the spires. They were responsible for collecting Gene Stealers samples on site, and also managing the technological relics found in the spires.
Jacob also utilized his strength as a Tech-Priest, who excelled at bold hypotheses, bringing some Tech-priest to search for legends of strange devices and lost cities in the myths and historical books collected from the palace, using this method to sniff out ancient lost relics and technology.
Everyone had something to do, except Gamma. It wasn't that he didn't actively try to help, but they all told him to hurry back and sit on his throne. The implication was that his role as ballast was to provide stability. If he wasn't sitting on the throne, they wouldn't feel at ease doing their work. Gamma had no choice but to sheepishly return to his mechanical throne and plop back down.
"Why is this not what I imagined?" Gamma muttered to himself, feeling disappointed.
Hearing this, the Inquisitor, who had witnessed everything, didn't know how to respond. Today, she had truly gained insight into what Tech-priest were like when they got serious.
As for being sneaky, what sneaky?
Was it the ashes on the ground from the castellan robots' flamers, or the paste on the wall from the fist-sized power fists, or the idiots who shot themselves dead after their bullets ricocheted off the castellan robots' protective shields?
"I don't feel involved at all," Gamma on the throne said again.
"How can you be dissatisfied when your subordinates are so capable?" Finnie asked.
"Uh… it's just that I don't feel involved, no 'pew pew pew, rat-a-tat-tat' feeling."
"….."
"Mommy, are we going to die?" the chubby-faced boy asked innocently, looking up and posing the cruelest question.
The mother, carrying the boy on her back, heard her child's question, and tears unconsciously dripped to the ground. Yet, she wiped away her tears with one hand and raised her late husband's weapon with the other, forcing a smile as she comforted him:
"No, Mommy will protect you!"
"But I don't want Mommy to protect me, Daddy died protecting me—"
Hearing her child's words, the mother, who had been pretending to be strong, could no longer maintain her facade. She knelt on the ground and prayed with fervent devotion:
"Great Emperor! Merciful Majesty! I beg you to look upon us! As long as this child can be saved! Only him!"
But she ultimately did not attract the Emperor's attention. What was attracted were the Gene Stealers searching for survivors. The Tyranid' genes gave these monsters keener senses, allowing them to detect sounds made by hidden survivors.
The sneaky ones did not hide their movements; instead, they deliberately roared. They loved the smell of human fear, the expressions of terror, and the screams of despair.
The mother and child, hidden in a secret room, also heard the deliberate sounds made by the sneaky ones. The mother knew they were doomed. She did not point the gun outwards, but instead aimed it at her child.
"Forgive Mommy, okay?" the mother said, tears streaming down her face.
"Okay, I'm going to find Daddy, Mommy."
The sounds outside grew closer, but inside, the trigger remained unsqueezed. She couldn't bring herself to do it. Even though she knew it was the best option, she still couldn't. But she also knew she couldn't hesitate any longer.
"Child, forgive Ma—"
"Crack! Bang!"
"Roar, enemy!"
"Enemy your grandpa, how about this move, old man!"
"Crack! Bang!"
...
The commotion outside made the mother instantly shift the gun away from her child. She heard the sound of battle, she heard human voices. Although she knew there was no power left here to resist those monsters, even a glimmer of hope was something she wouldn't give up.
"The two inside, come out. It's safe outside now," a voice from outside called.
Although she didn't know how the other party knew about her and her son being there, a hero who could defeat those monsters must be extraordinary. The mother, her courage to live rekindled, squeezed out the last bit of strength from her body, slowly moving aside the debris blocking the exit, and carrying her son, walked out step by step.
When she came outside, she saw several normal humans, a red-robed cyborg, and a half-naked Blue Man covered in "tattoos," as well as three tall "giants" standing behind them. The former noblewoman, seeing this scene, quickly greeted the red-robed Tech-Priest:
"Thank you for saving my son and me, esteemed Priest."
The Tech-Priest, who was bending over to examine the sneaky one, waved his hand and pointed to the Electric Monk beside him, saying, "Don't thank me, this Blue Man Master found you and saved you."
"Thank you, Blue Man Master!"
"Ah haha, it's nothing, little fellow is really sturdy. Do you want to serve Source Power with Uncle? When you grow up, you can shock whoever you want, just like Uncle."
With years of experience in recruiting members, the Blue Man Master immediately saw that the chubby-faced child clinging to his mother's back was good material for an Electric Monk. Feeling a fondness for talent, he thought they should establish a master-disciple relationship early, so that Flash of Lightning's grandsons wouldn't snatch him away.
The Tech-Priest's mouth twitched when he heard that, but he didn't want to offend these battle maniacs, so he pretended not to hear and continued to tinker with the sneaky one at his feet. The child's mother, relying on her maternal instinct, wanted to keep her son away from the Electric Monk, but the other party had saved them, and her upbringing prevented her from doing anything so rude.
While she was still contemplating how to politely refuse, the child on her back was already attracted by the electric arcs dancing on the Electric Monk's fingers and asked curiously, "Really, when I grow up, can I also 'crack-bang'?"
"Of course!"
Gamma didn't know that the Black Brotherhood's poisonous influence had already reached children. The reason he had the Electric Monks accompany them was not only to let them vent their desire to shock and fight, but more importantly, he valued the Elect Monks' ability to sense bio-electromagnetic fields. This ability was very useful for both reconnaissance and searching for survivors.
The news of finding survivors made Gamma, who had been bored to the point of dazing, unusually happy. So far, he hadn't found any technology or relics in the spires that interested him. These good things, which were impressive in others' eyes, he truly didn't care for. No matter how prosperous a Hive World was, it couldn't compare to a Forge World. So the joy of "treasure hunting" belonged to others, not Gamma.
Just as Gamma was bored and starting to wonder if he should secretly sneak down, a small fleet consisting of armed merchant ships and frigates appeared outside the planet Balat. He initially thought they were merchants unaware of the planet's fall, but when Gamma saw the Inquisitor on high alert, he knew the newcomers meant trouble.
"Gamma, pirates are here!"
Hearing Finnie's reminder, Magos Gamma sprang from his mechanical throne and quickly asked, "Are you sure?"
The Inquisitor pointed to the fleet information scanned by the Auspex array on the holographic projection and said:
"Many Inquisitors have dedicated their lives to uncovering the origins of this Iconoclast-class Destroyer. This vessel's design and construction are similar to various small frigates produced by the Imperium, but the Imperium has never produced this model of destroyer. The primary users of these ships are pirates and other illicit groups."
"While a few Rogue Traders also possess these ships, they dare not use them openly within Imperial territory."
"At the same time, we have already issued a warning, notifying merchant ships in nearby areas not to approach the planets along the trap route."
"At a time like this, the only ones who would dare to come to Balat are those pirates. Only these vultures would try to seize this opportunity to make a fortune here!"
"Be vigilant! These destroyers are very dangerous. They are favored by pirates because they possess powerful firepower disproportionate to their size, as well as extreme speed. They are like wolves, using their speed advantage to cooperate and hunt targets much larger than themselves. With enough numbers, they can even sink a battleship!"
(Iconoclast-class Destroyer)
Finnie's words made Magos Gamma a bit flustered. He was completely clueless about naval warfare and felt utterly unprepared for the sudden appearance of pirates.
Before departing from Thedan, the Archmagos had wanted to arrange an experienced captain for him, but his idea was to fire from afar and run if he couldn't win, believing that those who drowned were the ones who knew how to swim. With a formidable captain, he might be tempted to confront enemies head-on. But now, encountering pirates with his people still on the ground, he had no choice but to fight.
"Finnie, given the pirates' speed, it's too late to evacuate the people on the ground now. Can the Deathwatch deal with these pirates?"
"Impossible. There's only a 10-person Kill Team here. Their ship won't be able to handle them."
Seeing that he couldn't rely on anyone else, Magos Gamma felt an indescribable regret. He raised his hand and slapped himself across the face.
"That's what you get for being so conceited!"
The Inquisitor, seeing that Magos Gamma was about to hit himself again, quickly stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and exclaimed, "Magos Gamma, calm down! Don't forget, you are their leader!"
By this point, Magos Gamma knew that regret was useless. He closed his eyes, slowly inhaled, then slowly exhaled, and then spoke word by word: "Inhale... Exhale... Even a Great Demon fell into my hands, I can't possibly fail to kill these low-tier scoundrels!"
When Magos Gamma opened his eyes again, the Inquisitor found that the little Tech-Priest she was familiar with was gone. In his place was someone with the same appearance, but with bloodlust in his eyes and an aura of killing intent that made her tremble. She asked with a slight tremor:
"Magos Gamma, are you alright?"
Magos Gamma smiled and said, "I'm fine. It's been too long since I fought, I almost forgot what it felt like. Let's go meet those vultures."
"Transmit my order: All hands to battle stations! Unlock all weapon restrictions on the Gear Boy! I will purify these heretics with the firepower of the Omnissiah!"
"Notify everyone on the ground to gather and hide. Stay safe!"
"Yes, Magos Gamma!" x n
The Inquisitor: Did he just say a Great Demon fell into his hands!?
"Captain Basa, are we going to strike it rich this time?"
The pirate leader, hearing his subordinate's words, stroked his carefully groomed beard and said with feigned elegance, "Haha. Look at your small ambitions. How much you earn depends on how efficiently you lazy louts work."
"Hehe, don't worry, Captain, we'll definitely empty the Planetary Governor's palace."
"Don't focus all your attention on treasure. Haven't you heard that the higher-ups are all shrewd now! Be careful you don't earn it only to die before you can spend it. If you get bitten by those shrewd ones, don't blame me for being merciless!" Basa reminded his somewhat overconfident subordinates.
"Understood, Captain, you won't even need to lift a finger then—"
"Enemy attack!"
The piercing alarm interrupted the pirate who was trying to curry favor. The look of surprise on the pirate leader's face lasted less than a second before disappearing, and he immediately reacted, ordering:
"Scatter immediately! Activate void shields! I want to see who's so blind as to dare attack our Skull Pirate Crew!"
If Magos Gamma had heard the pirate leader's words, he would have told the other party that choosing such a minor character's name would surely lead to no success. And indeed, this group of pirates was quite unsuccessful.
"That's it? What a waste of my emotions!" Magos Gamma sat on his mechanical throne, speechless, looking at the projection of the pirate ship he had taken down with one shot, and complained.
Then he squinted at the Inquisitor beside him, implying, "Why are you so jumpy? Is it really necessary for something of this caliber? My face still hurts!"
Finnie, who was being stared at, blushed. She had only just become an Inquisitor and had no experience in naval warfare. Her ability to confirm that the opposing ships were pirate vessels was the result of her ceaseless memorization of various data.
But no one had told her that the Auspex array on the Gear Boy had such a much greater detection range than the pirates'! And what was that "Veil of the Empyrean" thing that made such a large ship invisible!
The Inquisitor only saw Magos Gamma order the activation of the "Veil of the Empyrean," after which the ship, apart from its power system, went silent. It then stealthily and silently approached the pirate fleet, and then fired a Nova Cannon shot at the pirates who were happily eating hotpot and singing songs. The projectile, moving at near light speed, gave the pirate fleet no time to react, and a massive explosion enveloped more than half of the pirate ships. "Deactivate the Veil of the Empyrean, raise void shields, we're moving closer." Magos Gamma ordered.
"Yes, Magos Gamma!"
Finnie, fearing that the little Tech-Priest would get carried away, quickly advised, "Magos Gamma, isn't it a bit dangerous to approach now?"
To her surprise, Magos Gamma waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's fine. Their broken ships pose no threat to us. Don't worry, I'm not being arrogant; this is an objective analysis based on their ship's performance."
"Alright—"
Basa's flagship was naturally the strongest vessel in the Skull Pirate Crew, which was why it wasn't completely destroyed by the previous explosion.
The pirate captain, roused from unconsciousness, clutched his bleeding head and roared with a ferocious expression, "Who? Who is attacking us? Counterattack! I'll skin them alive!"
"Captain, we should find a way to escape quickly. The recent attack has caused us to lose contact with half of our ships, and only four are still operational!"
"What?!" Basa, greatly alarmed, knew he had encountered a tough opponent this time. The pirate, who usually sought revenge for every slight, now had no thoughts of retaliation. He only wanted to escape quickly. As long as he got away, with the treasure he had hidden, even if he couldn't make a comeback, he could still live comfortably for generations in another sector.
"Quick! Quick! Tell them to pick me up! What the hell are you standing there for?!"
Seeing his subordinate holding the communicator and hesitating to call for help, the anxious pirate leader snatched the communicator and pressed it to his ear, about to call for help. But his actions froze upon hearing the sound coming from the communicator. He knew they were finished, because what came through the communicator was:
"011011011011..."
The pirates surrendered, not because they didn't want to resist or escape, but because they simply couldn't. The Gear Boy's wide-band hymn projector drowned out all their communications with the holy hymns of the Omnissiah. The interference system generated a fierce and constantly changing energy field that directly burned out the Auspex arrays on any ship that intentionally or unintentionally scanned the Gear Boy.
The pirates' ships, now deaf and blind, had no option but to surrender. All of these preparations were made by Magos Gamma for his journey through the stars. While there were ships that could defend against the Gear Boy's tactics, these pirate ships were definitely not among them!
"You're the pirate leader?" Magos Gamma asked, scrutinizing Basa, who was kneeling on the ground.
The pirate captain remained silent. He knew he was doomed to die, but the next words from the child-like Tech-Priest before him made him think that death might be a luxury, and a fate worse than death was his true ending.
"Hmph, still a tough guy. I, the Magos, appreciate tough guys. Guards, take him down and turn him into a Servitor. Let this tough guy serve me well in the future, and remember not to use anesthetic, otherwise it wouldn't be worthy of a tough guy's status!"
Upon hearing this, Basa's face changed dramatically, and he immediately pleaded, "Sir, please give me a quick death!"
"Dream on! If you have a quick death, I, the Magos, won't be happy!"
"Guards, take him away!"
"Magos, please spare me! I have treasure! I have treasure!"
Ignoring the pirate leader who was being dragged away by the guards, struggling and shouting, Magos Gamma left the interrogation room satisfied. But he had only walked a few steps when he encountered the Inquisitor. He was about to greet Finnie when the Inquisitor spoke first:
"Magos Gamma, how much longer are you going to continue this boring charade?"
"How is it a boring charade? I am saving wicked souls," Magos Gamma argued.
Hearing this, Finnie didn't know how to comment on Magos Gamma. It had been a month since the pirates appeared, and during that month, whenever Magos Gamma was bored, he would drag out the pirate leader to toy with him.
Why "toy with"? Because Magos Gamma would erase the pirate leader's memory each time, making him only remember being captured by the Tech-priest. Then, Magos Gamma would use various devious tricks he had concocted to scare the pirate leader.
If you called him cruel? He only said it, but didn't do it.
If you called him benevolent? He did it over and over again.
The Inquisitor, after searching through all the adjectives she knew, could only find "boring" to describe Magos Gamma. How bored must a person be to use such precise memory wiping technology on an unforgivable pirate, with the sole purpose of tormenting and retaliating against him.
"The data for the pirate's hidden treasure you requested."
"Oh, thank you. By the way, do you want this pirate named Basa?"
"No, the Inquisition doesn't take such trash. Why are you suddenly asking this? Are you done playing?"
"Uh—killing him would be a waste, but keeping him is useless, so I want the Omnissiah to purify him."
"Purify?"
"Mm."
Gamma's exploration vessel had an unreasonable crew composition compared to other Tech-priest' exploration vessels; while Tech-priest were all capable fighters, their body modifications were for enhancing learning and research abilities, and in terms of combat power, the Adeptus Ministorum were stronger.
However, because Gamma himself was quite resistant to the method of physically forcing faith in the Omnissiah, his ship, apart from the guards given to him by the Archmagos, had no other Adeptus Ministorum members; the only true armed personnel on the entire ship were the Electric Monks of the "Dharma Body Faction" who enjoyed electrocuting people.
During this treasure hunt on Balat, Gamma also discovered this problem: not having the Adeptus Mechanicus's conventional armed forces was truly inconvenient.
Although some of the Tech-Guard had been exposed, he couldn't always deploy large units of castellan robots in every situation in the future, as that might scare people; the Tech-Guard were disbanded precisely because their power was too great.
Magos Lauster also saw this point, so he suggested converting the captured pirates into Adeptus Ministorum.
For these scumbags, Gamma, after careful consideration, finally agreed to Magos Lauster's suggestion: killing them was not as good as making use of them, which could also be considered giving them a chance to turn over a new leaf.
Compared to other Tech-priest, Gamma was still too humane; for example, after the fall of Cadia, many Forge Worlds gained a powerful Adeptus Ministorum, and the Imperial Department of War didn't even bat an eye, which indirectly showed that the Tech-priest' bad reputation was entirely due to the many immoral deeds committed by the entire Adeptus Mechanicus.
Gamma's repeated torment of the pirate leader was partly due to his vengeful nature, but more importantly, he wanted to equip himself with a captain familiar with naval warfare.
He always believed that professional matters should be handled by professionals; if the enemies encountered this time were weak, what would happen if he encountered an opponent capable of deciphering Gamma's "Veil of the Empyrean" next time?
Therefore, a captain who could offer advice according to the situation was something Gamma urgently needed right now.
Basa, who could raise a pirate fleet in the Far East, was undoubtedly the talent Gamma needed, but dealing with such a desperate scoundrel and human trash, the method of "seven captures of Meng Huo" would not work; only by physically imprinting loyalty into his brain could Gamma feel at ease.
The purpose of repeatedly tormenting him was to transform him into a special Adeptus Ministorum without damaging his intelligence and command experience.
Gamma's original purpose for coming to Balat had not stopped either; the treasure hunting work was progressing well, yielding many treasures that even made Gamma's eyes light up.
These technological relics or incomplete technologies came from the collections of the ruling families, and for them to "voluntarily" fall into Gamma's hands so quickly, he still had to thank the Gene Stealers for their cunning "cooperation."
Gene Stealers were not unintelligent; they had been lurking in human society for many years and understood human society very well.
After suffering a few losses at the beginning, the Gene Stealers quickly understood what these Tech-priest with castellan robots were doing, so the Gene Stealer Patriarch on this planet directly abandoned the top spires of various Hive Worlds, actively avoiding the Priests who were searching for treasures in the top spires.
This also allowed many hidden survivors to emerge from their shelters and be rescued by the treasure hunting team after being discovered.
To repay the Tech-priest for saving their lives, these former nobles living in the top spires eagerly revealed their family secrets.
This greatly improved the efficiency of the treasure hunt.
Of course, gratitude was one aspect; another was their desire to escape this cursed place aboard the gear boy.
Gamma naturally didn't refuse this; since they had been saved, he couldn't just abandon them to the Gene Stealers.
At the same time, the captured pirate ships also required a large number of personnel; the original slaves on board alone couldn't sail these ships, but some things still needed to be made clear to these former nobles.
"I understand your intentions.
Rest assured, I will take you away, but from now on, you must give up your former noble status and join my exploration fleet."
"Of course, I do not force you to join.
If you have people you can rely on, or assets on other worlds, you can take a merchant ship and leave after I rendezvous with the combined fleet."
"Once you sign this crew contract, there will be no room for regret.
I hope you consider it carefully!"
The above words were projected by Gamma via a holographic image for all survivors to see, giving them three days to think.
The "gear boy Exploration Fleet" officially began recruiting, and most of the survivors chose to join the exploration fleet.
These people were either marginalized members of their families or their families lacked the power to establish industries elsewhere.
A small number of people had other options, or perhaps they had other plans, knowing the "reputation" of the exploration fleet.
For those who joined the fleet and became his own people, Gamma arranged three dishes and one soup daily for them, along with changes of clothes.
As for the outsiders, he let them gnaw on starch sticks.
Balat's starport, which lacked a space elevator, was also utilized as a temporary shipyard, repairing and modifying pirate ships.
However, this modification was limited by conditions and could only improve the living environment for the crew and the automation level of the ships.
Pirates were inhumane, but Gamma couldn't do the same; he had to wait here for the combined fleet to rendezvous anyway, so he had plenty of time.
As for the slaves on the pirate ships, their backgrounds were much more complex: there were merchants, soldiers, plundered civilians, slaves bought from the black market, and even other pirates defeated by Basa; all sorts of people were present.
Gamma made the same promise to them; he couldn't identify each of them individually, so he let them choose for themselves.
When the combined fleet completed their respective missions and gathered at Balat, what they saw was a truly Adeptus Mechanicus exploration fleet, possessing 2 supply ships, 8 frigates, 1 super-large cruiser, tens of thousands of Adeptus Ministorum, and various black technologies.
"You mean you just waited here and now you have a fleet?" Ventris asked incredulously after hearing Gamma's explanation.
The little Tech-Priest proudly puffed out his nose: "Uh-huh!"
...
"How severe were the damages from your interception of the Gorgon Hive Fleet?" Gamma also asked the question he was concerned about.
"Overall, acceptable; sacrifices are inevitable."
"It's good that the plan went smoothly.
But why did you remove the electrodes on the hilt of your sword? Is something wrong with the Weapon-Bug?" Gamma asked, noticing the change immediately as his height was perfectly level with the Ultramarines' sword at his waist.
Ventris, hearing Gamma's words, patted the Weapon-Bug at his waist and said, "Nus doesn't like the feeling of being electrocuted, so I asked a Technical Sergeant to help remove it."
"Uh—Nus?" Gamma pointed at the Weapon-Bug, questioning with uncertainty.
"Yes, that's the name I gave it."
"You've even developed feelings for it!"
"Of course, Nus is my good partner.
You don't know how popular Weapon-Bugs are now; even the Grand Inquisitor got one and wears it close to him every day." As Ventris spoke to Gamma, he didn't forget to gently pat the sword at his waist.
Hearing Ventris say this, Gamma was a bit confused about what had happened.
To clarify the situation, he quickly asked, "What's going on? The Grand Inquisitor wouldn't be without a good power sword, and what would a psyker need a Weapon-Bug for?"
"You don't know?"
"I don't know.
After being separated from you for so long, how would I know what happened?"
"Weapon-Bugs can generate psychic resonance with people; you, the designer, don't know this?" Ventris asked, surprised.
Gamma looked at Ventris with a bewildered expression, then at the sword at his waist.
As a psychic-immune muggle, how could he sense any psychic resonance?
"Mind link? Psychic resonance! Strong-brained cat!"
Rubbing his chin and pondering why the Weapon-Bug had abilities he didn't know about, Gamma figured out what was going on.
When he designed the Weapon-Bug, to prevent it from being affected by the Hive Mind, he specifically removed the Tyranid' psychic genes and replaced them with another type of psychic creature.
To ensure it also wouldn't be affected by the Warp's Chaos Gods, he screened through a list and finally chose to use the genes of a strong-brained cat.
However, this psychic creature was too rare, and Gamma hadn't found a living specimen, only obtaining some cell samples from other Tech-priest.
Ventris saw Gamma figure it out and asked, "So, you've figured it out?"
"Hmm, when the Weapon-Bug was designed, the genes of a strong-brained cat were used, which is why it has the ability to mind-link.
You also discovered it only after using it for a while, right?"
"That's right."
"Do you feel a substantial increase in your thinking and action speed?" Gamma asked again.
"Of course, otherwise it wouldn't be so popular."
Gamma was very jealous now; being psychic-immune, he naturally couldn't receive psychic amplification.
He unhappily poked the Ultramarines' "Nus" with his finger, silently scolding this "ungrateful wretch" who didn't show respect to its creator.
After chatting with Ventris for a while, the Gaius left the gear boy.
Calgar had left him a pile of paperwork waiting for him to return and deal with, so he had to go back to work overtime.
Gamma had nothing much to do now, so he decided to go see the gift Ventris brought him—biological samples from the Gorgon Hive Fleet.
At first glance at the gift, Gamma confirmed that Gorgon was not a "proper bug"; what proper Tyranid creature was entirely green?
Gamma had seen plenty of Tyranid biological samples when he was on Thedan.
Although his biological father was unlearned and incompetent, for some unknown reason, he put a lot of effort into Tyranid biology, researching for a hundred years how to quickly and accurately identify Gene Stealers.
Although he didn't achieve much, he accumulated many Tyranid samples, which eventually benefited Gamma, so Gamma understood what colors proper Tyranid were.
"Aren't you afraid that the Great Devourer will suspect you've been infected by Orks with this color scheme?"
Despite the complaints, with the samples, Gamma now had a new project.
He needed to research what was going on with Gorgon's "poison."
If he could create an antidote before the decisive battle, it could reduce many casualties.
During the decisive battle, face-to-face ground combat was inevitable, and whether they could hold Gorgon on the ground directly related to the final success or failure.
The joint fleet's next task was to deliver a head-on blow to any of Gorgon's tentacles that deviated from the trap route, forcing Gorgon to strictly follow the designated path.
At the same time, fortresses and defensive positions had to be built on the destination planet, with ground forces attracting Gorgon. Only when the Tyranid hive fleet focused its attention on the planetary surface battle would it be time for the main joint fleet to strike, and the moment to annihilate Gorgon.
This also meant that the ground forces would receive no fleet support from the beginning, having to fight desperately to the death. Sacrifices were inevitable and bound to be tragic.
But these were all necessary costs to defeat Gorgon, just like the worlds that had been sacrificed.
"This is really troublesome!" Magos Gamma, who had been cooped up in his laboratory for some time, said with a headache as he looked at the Tyranid samples before him.
He discovered that the "poison" in the Gorgon swarm's poison sacs was not a true toxin harmful to living organisms, but rather a non-toxic spore. However, these spores would release targeted, lethal toxins based on the infected host's genes.
If antibodies were developed targeting these spores, the Hive Mind would only need to alter the characteristics of the spore's outer shell to render the painstakingly researched antibodies ineffective.
More importantly, these spores were also Tyranid organisms, under the control of the Hive Mind. This meant that as soon as the Hive Mind detected an antibody, it could immediately evolve these spores. The time and cost invested by both sides simply could not compare. Magos Gamma, even with all the Tech-priest on the ship, could not compete with the Gorgon Hive in terms of iteration speed.
After grumpily smacking a sedated and bound Gorgon Ripper, Magos Gamma decided to switch his approach:
"The specific antidote method won't work, but you think I, Magos Gamma, have no way to deal with you! We Tech-priest are skilled in physical exorcism, and equally skilled in physical detoxification!"
Just as a new approach began to show promise, Magos Gamma received a request from Chapter Master Calgar and Grand Inquisitor Gais to see him. Sensing something was amiss, he put down his work and went to see what was happening.
"Chapter Master Calgar, Grand Inquisitor Gais, what's going on?" Magos Gamma asked directly.
Both of them now had Magos Gamma's Weapon-Bug strapped to their waists. This weapon, which could enhance cognitive ability, was like a brain-boosting tonic for these two busy individuals. No, tonics have side effects when taken too much; this weapon had none.
"I have an idea. Chapter Master Calgar, after hearing my idea, also thought it was worth a try, so I wanted to ask if you're interested," Grand Inquisitor Gais said with a smile.
"Oh?" Magos Gamma's interest was piqued.
At this point, Calgar said, "The troops constructing defensive fortifications on the trap planet discovered a small group of Green Skins. It's still unclear how those Green Skin xenos appeared, but their numbers are small and haven't caused any significant impact."
Upon hearing this news, Magos Gamma grimaced. Green Skins always seemed to randomly appear anywhere in the galaxy through incomprehensible means. He wouldn't be surprised if he heard that Green Skins were found on Terra one day.
"Magos Gamma, you also understand the characteristics of Green Skins. It's very difficult to completely eradicate them without considerable effort. Leaving them unchecked will inevitably affect the progress of the defensive fortifications, so I have an idea."
"Please speak, Grand Inquisitor."
"Instead of expending effort to eliminate the Green Skins, why don't we utilize their power? Use xenos to fight xenos!"
Magos Gamma's eyes sparkled as he said, "Is the Grand Inquisitor thinking of raising those Green Skins and releasing them to fight the Tyranid once they arrive?"
"Yes, but Green Skins are uncontrollable. Raising Green Skins requires the ability to control them. So, after much thought, I believe Magos Gamma is the best candidate. Do you agree with this plan?"
"Ho ho, this is interesting!" Magos Gamma thought.
"Alright, I agree."
Seeing Magos Gamma nod, Calgar and Grand Inquisitor Gais exchanged a smile. Magos Gamma's Gear Fleet held a special position within the joint fleet; they had no authority to deploy it, nor could they bear to put a valuable talent like Magos Gamma in a dangerous position.
But being able to see but not use him was frustrating. Grand Inquisitor Gais's idea happened to allow Magos Gamma to get involved. If the plan succeeded, it could reduce the pressure on ground defenses. Even if it failed and the Green Skins went out of control, the Green Skins would ultimately not escape their fate of helping them deal with the Tyranid.
Moreover, that location was in the deep rear of the engagement with the Tyranid, ensuring Magos Gamma's safety. Magos Gamma's disappearance last time had greatly frightened both of them; no one knew what Thedan would do if Magos Gamma truly met with an accident.
After Calgar and Grand Inquisitor Gais left, Magos Gamma enthusiastically called everyone else to explain his plan to "raise Green Skins."
Aside from having somewhat strange expressions, no one objected, as Magos Gamma always did unexpected things.
Thus, the gear boy exploration fleet detached from the joint fleet and headed towards their next destination.
This Warp journey also encountered a small, unexpected incident, but this time it was a beneficial one: Magos Gamma and his crew arrived early. After communicating with the "Dorn's Hammer" Chapter, who were responsible for the construction work here, they learned that the Chapter had only sent out the news of discovering and annihilating the Orks yesterday.
"Heh, the marvelous Warp!" Magos Gamma rolled his eyes and complained.
He was now a bit anxious about Warp travel. He disliked this unpredictable uncertainty, but without other faster-than-light methods, he had no choice but to use it.
Having rarely arrived at a planet with mountains, water, and forests, Magos Gamma decided to take a vacation, enjoy the scenery to soothe his terrible mood. Once the Tyranid arrived, this scenery would also vanish.
Kosa Star was a standard feral world, located in the most remote of places. The Far East was already the frontier of the Imperium of Man.
It was the frontier of the Far East, and the human civilization upon it had regressed to a tribal state. If it weren't for this Gorgon invasion, it would have continued to remain isolated.
Now that interstellar civilization had descended, the Kosa people's idyllic life of herding and hunting was over. Everyone was conscripted as laborers, working tirelessly day and night on the various fortifications across the planet.
If they weren't worked to death in the end, they would also receive a lasgun, sacrificing their lives to contribute their last effort to the cause against the Tyranid.
Compared to the brutal Imperium of Man, the positions managed by the Tau utilized various unmanned machines, a completely different style.
Magos Gamma, whose mood had worsened after a tour, found a branch and chopped down patch after patch of weeds.
"Order: investigate the mineral veins and begin on-site mining. All unmanned production lines, start producing engineering machinery now," Magos Gamma, having vented, returned to the ship and issued his first command.
"Jacob, go talk to Dorn's Hammer. I'll exchange engineering machinery for their indentured laborers."
"Understood!" Jacob responded and then turned to leave.
"Louis, take the other Priests, Adeptus Ministorum, and two hundred castellan robots to the forest where the Orks were discovered and capture them alive. "Alright, no problem." Louis accepted the order and went to arrange personnel.
"Paul."
"Boss, you tell me."
"Your task is heavy. You need to build an arena in this large canyon, and at the same time, construct living quarters for the laborers transferred to us."
"No problem, but it will require a lot of manpower."
"The fleet personnel are at your disposal. Anyway, they're idle and have nothing to do; they can't just stay on the ship all the time."
"Boss, don't worry, I guarantee the completion of the mission."
Having arranged everything, Magos Gamma began to ponder if he had missed anything, but quickly gave up. Anyway, everything had to be built from scratch, and it wouldn't be too late to add things as needed when discovered.
Temporarily free, Magos Gamma once again dedicated his energy to the work of "physical detoxification." His idea was to use medical nanobots to help the human body clear those Tyranid spores and the toxins released by the spores.
The difficulty lay in how to make the nanobots operate using the human body's energy. It wouldn't do if they needed an injection every few hours; nanobots without energy would simply be excreted as waste.
At the same time, a more portable integrated detection and treatment device was needed. The medical bay's original detection and treatment device was too large and could not be deployed on the battlefield. The method of transporting casualties to the rear could not cope with the Tyranid' instant-death toxins.
All these required Magos Gamma to overcome, but fortunately, he now had leads, and the Warp had given him more time.
Dorn's Hammer did not refuse Magos Gamma's proposal to exchange engineering machinery for laborers. They had been forced to use inefficient manual labor to compensate for their lack of engineering machinery. To express their gratitude, they presented Magos Gamma with a Chapter relic.
An ancient Astartes Codex.
Upon receiving the gift, Magos Gamma, discovering what it was, strongly suspected the other party was mocking him. He immediately wanted to unleash the wrath of a Tech-Priest upon these ignorant Space Marine.
Fortunately, Inquisitor Finnie, who had come along, saw that Magos Gamma was about to erupt and quickly stepped in to mediate, preventing the Space Marine who had brought the gift from returning bruised and battered.
After the Dorn's Hammer people left, the Inquisitor explained:
"Magos Gamma, they really were expressing gratitude!"
"Huh?"
"They are an Imperial Fists successor Chapter that extremely reveres the Astartes Codex."
"Huh?"
"They claim, 'Although the Codex was written by Guilliman, only Dorn and his sons truly understood it.'"
"Huh?"
"They also harbor extreme hatred for the Word Bearers, solely to prove themselves superior to the Ultramarines and their successor Chapters."
"Huh?"
Magos Gamma, no, Magos Gamma, after understanding the situation, quickly asked Inquisitor Finnie to take the gift and help him foster good relations with Dorn's Hammer. The atmosphere during their meeting had indeed been a bit awkward. It wasn't that Magos Gamma was afraid of trouble; it was mainly that he preferred not to offend people with such unusual thought processes if possible.
After seeing Magos Gamma's generous gift and hearing Miss Inquisitor say that his father was the "Regent's Hound," Dorn's Hammer mistakenly believed that the little Tech-Priest liked their Codex too much. Seeing Magos Gamma so generous, they had the Inquisitor bring him back an even older one. From then on, Magos Gamma's treasury gained two rolls of toilet paper. He kept them so that if he ever encountered people like Dorn's Hammer again, he would give them these two rolls of toilet paper!