Chapter 133: So Many Problems
"Necron technology?"
A flicker of curiosity appeared in Romulus's eyes, clearly interested in the topic.
"A Tomb-Portal? A Dolmen Gate?"
Ramesses squinted his dead-fish-like eyes and expressionlessly shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his tone. "I'm not Vashtorr."
If they could really capture Vashtorr and make him work for them, or seize his Warp-based authority, then Necron technology would no longer be an unreachable mystery to them. With sufficient conditions, it wouldn't be impossible to smash a Necron dynasty even under the effects of a Dolmen Gate. This was also recorded in the future Black Library.
"If we can unlock the Canoptek Scarabs, that'll be a success," Ramesses continued, his voice tinged with fatigue. "For now, we'll just have the daemons unlock various derivative products of Necron technology around the phase sword and neural shredder. With sufficient keywords and physical objects, we should be able to find it. The rest, we'll just have to see if it's in the Warp."
He pointed to the neural shredder on the table. The boost this thing gave to the mortal combat teams was quite good. Any being without a name or the gaze of the Warp upon them would be instantly killed by a single shot, no matter how thick their armor.
As for the Vindicare Assassin's weapon, they weren't interested. Records showed that their assassinations were mostly abstract. They were fine for killing planetary governors, but the moment they encountered anything related to the Warp, they would often, for various reasons, miss, fail to kill, or hit but have no effect.
Of course, they had scanned everything. The suit, which was like the nanosuit from Crysis, was quite good and could be equipped on the mortal troops in the future.
"Right." Romulus nodded, indicating his understanding, his face not showing much disappointment. He brought up the technology integration report he had just received in his mind. Just treat it as a technological reserve. It'll all be useful in the end, he thought.
Thanks to the crusade, their direct interference in pre-ordained events had also brought them a massive amount of psychic energy. These souls could not only pull a fleet out of thin air for them in a critical moment, but were also the foundation for quickly laying down various production lines after they found a homeworld.
During the crusade, besides reimbursing the equipment consumption of the various battle groups, they had also been conducting a technological assessment of the Imperial worlds they passed through. Whether it was civil, military, or the STCs privately hoarded by the governors or nobles, they had basically gotten their hands on all of it. And on the side, Romulus had also, based on the planetary conditions, led Drakus and the others in drafting short-term development plans for the planets.
Romulus had had the astropaths maintain communication, understanding the state of the various planets, and had preserved the case studies regardless of the outcome. In the future, these would all become the reserves for building their own pocket empire.
"Speaking of which, the astropathic community is also a target for recruitment," Romulus said, looking at the list. They had been getting along quite well with the astropaths and navigators recently. Perhaps it was because their Warp travel and information reception were exceptionally stable, these psykers attributed it to the blessing brought by Romulus and the others.
Yes, of course we know that the astropaths and navigators are the revered ones, watched over by the Emperor, with an incomparably noble resolve. Even if death is before them in the next second, they will choose to jump in directly.
You can't use something as insignificant as "I can save your life" to insult a psyker who has been given a great mission by the Emperor.
But, bro, what if I told you I could let you serve the Emperor for a longer, much longer time?
"The religious problem is also very serious."
The thought of the religious fervor in the upper echelons of the crusade fleet gave Romulus a headache. He frowned unconsciously, his fingers gently pressing on his temples, as if to relieve his inner frustration. He stood before the bridge's observation window, his gaze looking through the thick, armored glass at the flashing lights of the ships in the distant starfield, his heart heavy.
Besides the Rogue Traders, the biggest beneficiary of this crusade was the Ecclesiarchy. The results of this operation, which had been named the "Dawn Crusade," were indeed absurd. The xenos and Chaos threats in the entire Eastern Fringe had been visibly reduced, and the results had greatly inspired the various factions.
The result was that the Ecclesiarchy in the neighboring sectors had begun to organize their own crusade armies, following the route of the main crusade fleet and continuing to advance east.
But do you think that by organizing an army and expanding the fruits of the victory, the Ecclesiarchy was doing something good?
Not really. These fleets, often numbering in the hundreds of millions, although massive in scale, were composed of a small number of armed vessels and transport ships, filled with the lower-class population of the various sectors: workers, farmers, believers, and so on.
These crusade armies were not like the one on Pierdra, which had the transmigrators providing weapons and supplies without regard for cost. They had given their last savings to the Ecclesiarchy in exchange for a ticket to join the crusade, a crude piece of equipment, and a hazy future of possibly becoming a noble in a new world.
The Ecclesiarchy would not stop the crusade until they had completely hit a wall, because this crusade could bring them countless income. They could use the results of the crusade to accumulate wealth and continue to expand their influence in their respective sectors. The crusade would proceed along the edge of the Ghoul Stars, and these pitiable, ordinary people would be thrown into a series of colonial wars.
Romulus sneered and shook his head, muttering to himself, "How ironic."
Sometimes he really found it funny. The Ecclesiarchy always proclaimed that humanity was the Emperor's currency, yet they themselves were always wasting it.
Romulus felt it was necessary to break away from the Ecclesiarchy and do their own thing. But as long as the Emperor still performed miracles, as long as the Warp still existed, religious belief would inevitably continue to exist, and its influence would only grow. Because the vast majority of individuals in the human population indeed could not control their own destiny. They had to attach themselves to some powerful being to continue to survive.
There were still plenty of people in the 21st century who believed in an ethereal god, let alone in the 40k universe, where gods were real.
However, Romulus still, with the others, jointly sent a letter of opinion to the Ecclesiarchy. The letter affirmed the support of the various branches of the Ecclesiarchy for the Dawn Crusade and, in a relatively tactful way, stated that although the crusade had achieved excellent results, the various Imperial worlds that had been attacked were now suffering from a shortage of population. If they wanted to consolidate the results of the crusade and let the Emperor's light continue to shine on the far eastern border of the Imperium, then they needed to ensure the development of these planets.
Its other purpose was to cause some trouble for the unrestrained Rogue Traders. These guys, taking advantage of the fact that the other Imperial organizations hadn't reacted yet, had been a bit too much. Letting the Officio Assassinorum into the crusade fleet was also intentional, to deter those who harbored ill intentions. Otherwise, the moment these people had entered the fleet, Arthur and Ramesses could have cleaned them up.
"I can somewhat feel the Regent's pain now," Romulus muttered, rubbing his sore eyes. In the transmigrators' secret cabin, his own little corner was piled high with data-slates and communication logs. The cold light of the screen reflected on his face, making his expression even more grim.
This situation was really like Guilliman's state after the Great Betrayal, balancing the various factions. It was more tiring than fighting a war. He seriously handled these matters, his fingers quickly sliding across the data-slate, occasionally pausing for a moment, his brow slightly furrowed, as if weighing certain decisions.
Thanks to the title of "leader of the crusade fleet," his words still carried weight. But power, if you don't use it, will gradually be lost. Romulus was keenly aware of this, so he could only grip this power tighter and tighter, like holding a double-edged sword that could hurt himself if he was not careful.
Many sector governors had already voiced their displeasure with this kind of remote control. They were worried that Romulus would use this to expand his influence in the various sectors and were secretly discussing it. However, looking at the scale and strength of the crusade fleet, they had only voiced their displeasure and had not taken any real action. After all, no matter how dissatisfied they were, they couldn't cause trouble for him at this time.
As for the problem of the next planet possibly being a massive mess, Romulus did not emphasize it too much. He had only mentioned it in passing when he came in. His partners had nodded in understanding, and that was enough. Yes, this matter was important, but it didn't need too much discussion.
They all knew. That was enough. Yes, just knowing was enough.
The pre-battle preparations were actually the easiest part, because the result was basically a win.
Romulus leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the star-chart in the secret cabin, his mind already aware of the enemy's strength. You just had to look at the strength of the crusade fleet to know. As long as you didn't run into a legion led by a Chaos Chosen, or an enemy like the Silent King who had just returned to the galaxy, any opponent could be defeated by just a simple, unadorned A-move.
Winning was inevitable.
Romulus was just optimizing the process. He actually had very little to worry about.
He stood up, walked to the star-chart, his fingers lightly brushing over the flashing points of light. He looked back at his partners at his side, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, finally revealing a confident smile.
For them, winning a battle was actually the easiest part.
(End of a Chapter)