While our troops and ships at Sotha prepare for the next inevitable invasion, I return to my favorite pastime.

And since the planet is an agri-world, there are dozens of STC templates that I can obtain and engineer, as well as test and donate my other designs to the farms and merchants.

Of course, a normal Rogue Trader would try to sell such machines as luxuries and receive millions of thrones in return. But my goals are much, much greater than mere peddling goods from one system to another, like most Rogue Traders do.

Good will is also much more precious.

A squad of Scythe space marines join my retinue without paying a single throne. Lead by a slightly rookie Captain Mansirius Thrasius of the 3rd Company, this squad is tasked with keeping the secret of the Pharos, by guarding my person.

It is called the Oath of Moment, also known as the "Aegidan Oath". This Oath of Moment was kept within Mount Pharos, a parchment signed by Roboute Guilliam himself.

Now that I know the secret, I am quite valuable for the Scythes.

Either way, they will not allow me to fall into enemy hands. Probably they are ordered to shoot me, if I seem to get captured.

I wonder if Ludvaius has the same orders. Who I am kidding? Of course, he does.

The Imperium is known to have destroyed entire planets, even whole marine Chapters to keep some secrets.

Poor Pef doesn't rank that high anyway.

Possibly only the Inquisitor's presence and company has turned fate in my favor.

The politics of the Imperium are literally cut-throat, in this case: mine.

Six months later, just as I finish a brand-new template for a tractor-harvester and tried to work once more on the Gellar generator, another fleet arrives.

Luckily it's the reinforcements that Rose has called for, another Victory battleship, two Mars-class battlecruisers armed with nova cannons and an Overlord-class_Battlecruiser armed with many lance batteries.

There is a method to the fleet requests, as long range fire is more desirable for defense, plus the lack of munitions would make macro-cannons a liability here in the Eastern Fringe.

A squadron of 20 more frigates and 20 destroyers form the extra escorts.

Immediately, we begin updating the combat protocols for the newly arrived ships, as well as moving some torpedoes to the ships that have already expended theirs.

The Imperial Navy needs fleet tenders, transport ships that can resupply a fleet when away from a naval base, but due to politics, the Mechanicus will not allow forges on Naval ships, and the Navy will not allow Mechanicus ships in their battlegroups.

There are some exceptions, like Inquisitor Black ships, various Ecclesiastic battleships or the Battle Barges of the Astartes that can freely join any group they want, just like renowned Rogue Traders can.

I eye the nice Overlord Battlecruiser with hungry eyes. I would like a few of those for myself...but even if I could convince a Forge World to build one for me... I'd still have to wait 800 to 1000 years. If I'm lucky and that forge is not attacked in the meantime.

Nearly every Navy Captain grumbles when I explain how to use or not use the auspex and augury sensors, then how to move the ships on my exact vectors.

"That destroyer you see being repaired in orbit? Didn't listen and was taken over by teleporting boarders. Saved me a bolt round as their Captain was found half melted into his chair. The brain was still alive though. He is now a happy servitor for the Mechanicus." I comment in a careless tone.

We try a few fleet maneuvers, though without live firing expendable ammunition. There are never enough torpedoes.

Just as the fleet speeds away on their agreed practice zones, the void opens up to unleash the next surprise.

A Necron cruiser and a couple of escorts. They possibly don't like getting targeted by our beacon, and getting swarmed by tyranids like a flock of cats would run after a laser pointer.

"Desist your foolish plans humans!" the Necron Lord speaks on my vox bead, before I manage to send the blackout order.

The Machine Spirit does it for me, a sure sign a cruiser's spirit is at least sentient if not sapient.

Then I focus on spreading the ships even more, to cover the planet from all sides, while the battlecruisers and battleships accelerate towards the xeno ships, firing all weapons.

Light cruisers act as escorts, while the actual escorts keep a wary distance from the powerful Necron beam weapons.

It's difficult to target and hit the more advanced Necron ships, a dozen of their light units returning heavy levels of fire, just like our battlecruisers can.

Their only cruiser has battleship strength weapons, and one Victory-class battleship has to turn away after losing two void shields.

I urge the Litany to move in the free slot, and unload our special torpedoes once we get in range. From 24 torpedoes only 3 hit the Necron cruiser, but it is enough.

The Necron vessel is damaged and slows down, then takes a Nova cannon straight on, and our heavies pound the fried cruiser to scrap.

Their light escort flee, after blowing up a destroyer, the one under repair. Unlucky ship, and the first ship under my command to be lost.

We only manage to blow one more Necron escort before the ships vanish.

However, compared to other encounters with the Necrons where the Navy lost a dozen ships for a single kill, I still managed to do better.

Rose seems very pleased with my command and lets me keep the post.

"Don't worry about the lost Cobra, my dear. I fear we will lose many more ships soon." she whispers to me in private.

I sadly have to agree. The Chaos will return, and humanity has many other enemies.

The ships enter a new repair and rearm cycle while I return to Sotha to check the Sounding board for real time news.

On Ilevar there's a small rebellion, and we had lost a thousand grenadiers rooting out some ugly Genestealer infiltrator, guarded by brainwashed zealots.

Retribution was attacked by an Ork Rok, but we had a million armed servitors to massacre the million Orks. The Tech-priests are rather amused by the pathetic invasion.

Antax has received the first transport ship filled with relics, and are extremely grateful.

Gyron is loading up two more ships for Metalica and Tigrus, but the Navigators are worried about the changed position of the psychic beacon. They urge him to wait a year or two for the Immaterium currents to settle.

The citadel of the Scythes gets a thousand tech-priests to oversee the exterior defenses, building sentry turrets and minefields, and posting more combat servitors beside the auxiliary regiments of the Astartes.

Sadly, the marines are too paranoid and won't let the Mechanicus upgrade their void shields or repair some broken machines.

Instead, they have an entire Company sent to be trained as tech-marines, so they can do repairs themselves. It's something I guess, though I doubt we'll have enough time for that plan to work.

I am teaching my own Astartes guards all I can, from officer courses and some basic science or logic. It's hard work, not because they are stupid but because they are too faithful.

Then again, they are implanted with the geneseed carrying the essence of the Emperor.

Having Gyron as a long range contact has calmed my fears a bit, because he was the one who raised me, in place of my warrior father or missing mother.

I mean, it was a second life...but I was still a child, with all that implies. These days I would compare my education to a few doctorates in various sciences and a war academy.

So yes, I am grateful to Gyron even though I suspect he had other projects involved with his mentorship, beside doing the Inquisition a favor.

Doing it myself, with my own children, so can't throw a stone for this.

I decide to test the Pharos displacement ability by sending the newly born kids directly to Ilevar. It takes some misdirection to bring a few young kids inside tool boxes and have them return empty to my cruiser but It eventually works.

Serena receives the kids in a warm pool, because I wasn't certain how high or low the translation would send them.

And with the transfer proved possible a new era begins.

Instantaneous travel across stellar distances is a huge deal, for me and my close allies.

It's probably heresy to use xeno artifacts without the Inquisition's blessing. I better consult Rose on this, and figure out a system to use it.

Sending agents across the system or inserting assassins would be quite valuable for her work.

I wait til we're alone in bed, before I explain while she is filled with happy thoughts and endorphins.

"It is a nice discovery, my dear. Too bad it needs someone to operate it with his mind. Atranos could use a vacation on Cypra Mundi, and try to obtain some more ships." my beloved Inquisitor muses out loud.

I hug her naked body closer, and draw her into a long kiss. "The weasel guy?" I ask to make sure.

"Careful there. He will be an Inquisitor soon enough. A few more missions to harden himself. However, your mother is hopeless. Decent assassin I suppose, but she needs constant guidance and support." Rose murmurs in my neck.

I sadly have to agree. Justine is scared of her own shadow. Literally. Her Blank aura terrifies her, although it is such a potent weapon against all the Warp monsters or Warp users.

The similar tyranid ability is called a Shadow in the warp, a warp presence that can blockade entire star systems from Navigators and astropaths.

Now, if only I can give humanity the same ability.

"My mother should not be wasted like this. I could use a thousand brothers, just like me." I mutter softly, and notice Ludvaius perk up at once.

He thumbs up at me secretly, though Rose can obviously sense his movements.

Rose hums inward, then turns to look at the Blood Angel marine. "Like him, you mean. But sane."

I nod in silence. Sanity would be great.