Chương 23: Chapter 22: Tribunal and Alliances.

POV: Lord Drakios Lord Drakios sat at the head of the briefing table once again, looking at the various individuals arrayed in front of him.

"Are we sure the Tyranids have been cleared out?" Arken asked again, making firm eye contact with the Major.

"Sir, we believe we have fully purged the compartment, and containment was not breached. We have men checking for stray surviving xenos just to be sure along with intensive scans from both our Mechanicus and Astartes allies." The Major sat back down after he finished speaking.

"So does anyone know how this happened?" Arken was more than a little perturbed at what they had discovered on his ship.

"I do." Doll spoke with confidence "That portion of the ship has an entirely different metal composition from the rest of the vessel. When we reviewed the notes from the salvage teams they did mention having issues with Xenos aboard the space hulk. I have inferred that another ship had gotten entangled with the Argent Drake, and when it was removed they simply cut that part away. The component itself is a food preservation module which may have lured the creatures in with its stores of compact biomass.

When the ship was wrested free the workers discovered the creatures and one individual cleverly thought to freeze them out. Using the plasma containment protocols was the fastest method to seal the module. It worked, however no one properly logged the issue and it was ignored by everyone pretty much after that. Eventually it was simply sealed in its current location and ignored." Akren allowed himself to relax slightly as he leaned back in his chair.

"Alright, how were our casualties?"

"Surprisingly low." Gertrude chimed in.

"Thanks in large part to the new Recovery Chambers, only individuals who died instantly on the field were lost. The crew detest being put inside them due to the smell, but the chambers work exceptionally well. We detect no taint, but will continue to monitor the individuals who have healed in the chambers. No Astartes were lost, the majority suffered minor injuries while several required more advanced healing and replacement prosthetics.

Skitarii forces had similar losses to the ships armsmen and suffered four point five percent casualties. Considering the nature and number of our foes, that is a superb outcome."

"Right, the Xenos components. Could you elaborate further?" Arken asked as he turned to look at Xor.

"Nicole's efforts to fully map the ship have continued to uncover points of interest. The Recovery Chambers are a short distance from the medical bay. Between them lies a Xenos Librarium. Where a plethora of xenos artifacts that were discovered were mostly harmless, with some exceptions. I believe Nicole gave your granddaughter several of the safer objects, namely the Aldari forcefield saved her life.

However, one extremely dangerous object was discovered thus I took over the inspection, the Halo Artifact that was present has since been destroyed." Arken let out a shark hiss "Are you sure it's destroyed?"

"Yes." Xor replied with a growl.

"The nature of the historical records and remaining artifacts are… complex. On one hand they are valuable historical records and certain individuals from the Ordo Xenos would dearly love to possess, however more conservative individuals from the Ordo might want the entire module purged."

"With the nature of my Warrant, is there any issue?" Arken asked.

"Not after I have purged the illegal and forbidden artifacts. The remainder fall under the purview of your Warrant of Trade as a Rogue Trader. I suggest we keep them for now. We have individuals compiling copies of the records, and once complete you could trade them away." Xor was obviously thinking practically.

"What about this third area? Arianwyn mentioned it to me." Arken probed. The Magi all shared a glance before Doll spoke up.

"The small area in the prow of the vessel turned out to be a private storage space and laboratory of House Cavalerio. The family that originally funded and built the Argent Drake. Nicole, as the last known surviving member of House Cavalerio was made its Matriarch. Inside was a host of Crusade Era automata, as well as the chamber in which Nicole was allegedly born. The lab itself seems to have been ripped out of a Dark Age space station and transplanted onboard."

"I know you mentioned House Cavalerio before. However I don't know a noble house by that name. Do you know their current status?" Arken steepled his fingers and listened intently.

"That's because they were the head family of Legio Tempestus of the Collegia Titianica. According to records the Legio still stands, but never fully recovered from the losses they sustained during the Schism." Doll explained.

"The family title still holds merit? Nicole would have a rather large claim on The Argent Drake if so." Arken said looking conflicted.

"Nicole has vehemently expressed that she has no interest in usurping control over the vessel from House Drakios, though she would be willing to document and ratify that fact if you would offer her certain minor concessions. She views the ship as her home and such a document would help protect her from certain factions." Doll explained. Arken blinked slowly "Absolutely. We can discuss it as soon as possible. Where is our little Princeps anyway?"

"She is preparing for the Mechnicus Tribunal. As the head of her House it falls to her to participate. Some of the things uncovered in the laboratory require us to scrutinize the actions of the deceased Magos Cavalerio."

"What's he being tried for?" Arken asked, wondering what could be so important to have a trial over a dead man.

"Tech Heresy and High Treason." Xor spoke bluntly as the entire briefing room went silent.

"We shall wait to inform you on the other discoveries until after the tribunal. Nicole's mapping efforts have covered nearly eighty six percent of the ship. There is at least one vehicle we believe may be still hidden onboard. Which we can discuss after the tribunal."

"Throne, it's not a titan is it?" Arken asked while rubbing his temple.

"... No… it is not a titan." Doll said in a very suspicious manner. Arken squinted at the Archmagos who simply chuckled politely and refused to elaborate.

"Well, fine. In other news we are two weeks out from Ur-Haven. They finally deigned to reply to our very polite hail requests." Arken said, smiling with teeth.

"I have not yet been put in contact with the governor, but they assured me they are working to prepare berths for our fleet." He scoffed and shook his head "Doll your presence along with that of Captain Bolaar would be greatly appreciated when we get to make introductions in person."

"Captain Bolaar is still being treated. I shall ensure he is informed of your request Lord Drakios" Astrovas who was sitting in for Bolaar spoke up.

"I foresee no issue with it." Doll just chortled in amusement "I see. Their actions must have upset you dearly, Arken. Perhaps we should audit their shipyards and forges while we visit." The corners of Arken's mouth curled upwards "Oh absolutely, Doll, please do. You know what? You and the magi should take Nicole for her first shore leave in ten millennia." Magos Altair winced "I didn't realize you were feeling so vindictive, Lord Drakios."

"She has guards. What's wrong with letting her outside the ship for a bit?" Arken was clearly intentionally playing dumb while swirling his drink.

"Given Nicole's ability to commune with Machine Spirits. If anything is awry in their forges Nicole would locate them. Should she find corruption or machines being mistreated I foresee her response being… most unpleasant for them." Altair agreed as Arken just sat there looking delighted.

"I do hope the dear governor has a good excuse for his tardiness. His response will determine how unpleasant our visit is going to be for him." Arken said as most of the officers shared discreet looks of pity for the governor of Ur-Haven. —----------------------------------------------------------- POV: Nicole I sit in my chair as the Magi arrange themselves. A circular table shaped like a cog serving as the secure locus for the Tribunal. Doll and Xor's seats are slightly raised and I sit across from them.

"Let the Tribunal commence. I Akellonon Doll, Archmagos Fabricator, Magos Errant, Enginseer Prime of the Argent Drake, shall preside over this Tribunal along with Xor-XXVII, Questor, Magos, Venatorius of the Venatorii. Also present at the time of the Tribunal is the Matriarch of House Cavalerio, Princeps Nicole Cavalerio. We call this Tribunal in order to pass judgment on the actions of the late Magos Cavalerio." Doll declares aloud, giving one bang of his axe on the floor.

"The late Magos Cavalerio stands accused of Tech Heresy. The Accused is also being charged with one count of attempting to study the Silica Anima, one count of illicit research into the genetics of the Omnissiah's creations, one count of attempting to enhance and tamper with the psyker genetic template. They are also accused of High Treason with three counts of illicit trading with the Dark Mechanicum and at least one count of artifact theft."

Doll announces as a list of the crimes appears from a holo projector in the table.

"Matriarch Cavalerio, do you contest any of these accusations?"

"No, Archmagos, House Cavalerio does not contest the accusations."

"Then we shall proceed."

"On the count of Tech Heresy for attempting to study the Silica Anima we find the accused guilty. Audio logs produced by the accused themselves are sufficient evidence. The Anima fragment has self terminated and thus no further actions are required."

"On the count of Tech Heresy for illicit research into the genetics of the Omnissiah's creations, we find the accused guilty. The genetic templates of three Primarchs were discovered within the databases of the accused." Doll was simultaneously writing the verdict down on vellum as well as the digital display.

"On the count of attempting to enhance and tamper with the psyker genetic template. We present evidence in the form of bio-chambers one and three from the discovered laboratory. The individual in chamber one was disintegrated by an overabundance of warp energy. Chamber three hosted an individual who underwent rapid unchecked cellular mutation and subsequently perished. We find this evidence conclusive and declare the defendant guilty." Doll's quill danced with a flourish.

"Moving on to the next charges. Audio logs suggest that one or more items acquired by the late Magos Cavalerio were obtained illicitly. The forge world of Esteban III was formerly the homeworld of House Cavalerio. Esteban III at the time of the Schism sided with the Traitors. Evidence shows Magos Cavalerio exchanged vast amounts of materials, knowledge, and personnel with the Magi of Esteban III.

The acquisition of an Omnissian Rod, a physical STC-Fragment, a digital STC-Fragment, and possibly an Ordinatus-Minorus weapon are all suspect."

"Matriarch Cavalerio, before the Tribunal, would you care to elaborate on the nature of the digital STC-fragment or provide a copy for the record?"

"Due to the nature of the digital STC-fragment, copying it is impossible and only one copy may exist at a time. The information within is categorized as Extremis and as such I must request a temporary recess and that only Archmagos Doll and Magos Xor remain." Doll was clearly not expecting that and looked over at me curiously but after a moment nodded "Agreed. Temporary recess, ten minutes." Once the other Magi got up and exited the room the doors were closed and secured. Xor and Doll both look at me expectantly.

"The digital STC-fragment contains a method for producing Cyclonic weaponry. Not only Exterminatus grade ship weapons but smaller man-portable missiles as well. The fragment includes a single-stage and two-stage torpedo variant for planets with and without atmospheres." I inform the pair. Doll sighs "Well that was not what I expected. You mentioned the program will not let itself be copied?" I nod "I have tried to transfer it and so far it refuses to move from my Cortex implant.

I could possibly physically copy the information over time, but digital copies are not possible at this time. The code involved is elegant and persistent and whoever made it was extremely paranoid and skilled." I admit with a small shrug.

"I have no issue with Nicole holding those schematics, however this information should be kept between the three of us. Cyclonic weapons are heavily restricted and only produced by us. There are many variants of the weapons, but Nicole seems to have gotten one of the more flexible options."

"That also explains the blast pattern inside the lab." Doll mutters tapping a metal finger on the table.

"Agreed. We shall keep the nature of the digital STC private and not include it in the Tribunal record. It could be a boon later if we need to produce them for whatever reason. Are there any special materials we might need?" Doll asks me.

"Metallic hydrogen and Deuterium are the main requirements. At some point I think I can make one of the smaller missiles to show you the process."

"We will arrange to keep a small stockpile of the materials on hand. I believe that is enough, unless you had anything else, Nicole?" Doll asks politely.

"No, Master Doll, that was all. I was unable to access the lab itself and the inventory from storage you already know."

"None of us have managed to access the lab files yet. There must be a way considering your uncle managed to do so but it eludes to us for now." Doll admits as he calls for the others to come back. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"The Tribunal shall commence. The issue of the digital STC shall be omitted due to the information within being deemed restricted. The Ordinatus-Minoris engine has not yet been located and as such it will not be factored into this Tribunal, however the logs admitting its presence will be considered."

"The Omnissian Rod has been remanded to Mechanicus custody by House Cavalerio, as have the physical STC and other artifacts. The other objects recovered in the late Magos's vault are property of House Cavalerio, however the Matriarch has generously permitted the distribution of the implants of the deceased, and has agreed to share the material wealth within the vault with the Drakios Dynasty.

In exchange for this the Matriarch will cordially agree to discuss and sign over the legal ownership of the Argent Drake with the house of Drakios. In exchange for permanent guaranteed residency, a house alliance compact, and full ownership of one Knight Castigator. The Matriarch will also have her status be elevated. For her production of equipment and work with Astartes Dreadnoughts to the rank of High Enginseer. The rank of Artifex is awarded for her recovery and dissemination of archeotech.

The rank of Datasmith for the ownership and operation of several automata maniples. These titles are still secondary to her title of Princeps and Matriarch of House Cavalario. Do you accept?"

"I, Princeps Nicole Cavalerio, being of sound mind and body, accept the terms of the aforementioned agreement. Praise the Omnissiah."

"With that concluded we shall continue the sentencing. The subject of this Tribunal, the late Magos Cavalerio is deemed guilty of all charges. Were he not dead he would be put to death. His parts will be disseminated and his name struck from all official records including the house registry. May his name be lost and forgotten. Tribunal adjourned! Praise the Omnissiah!" Doll declares with finality as I take a deep breath and slump back against my chair.

"A secondary announcement while we are all here. Magos Xor, having performed his duties admirably in purging forbidden xenos relics, has met the criteria to advance his rank within the Venatorii." Xor gives a polite nod as he is congratulated.

"Nicole! I have not forgotten! We shall set aside time to thoroughly go over your automata soon! We'll make a Mech-Lord of you yet!" Zephyr calls out enthusiastically and I just give him a small nod.

"Nicole, you are slated to go discuss the details of your agreement with Lord Drakios later. Do you require anything else?" Doll asks as he gets up.

"No, Master Doll, I should be fine. The preliminary agreement you suggested looks quite agreeable."

"Good. Documentation is important as a Rogue Trader, Lord Drakios dislikes leaving loose ends. The agreement should solidify his claim on the ship and your status as an independent House." Doll states before letting me head off to the meeting. —------------------------------------------------------------- POV: Still Nicole I meet Lord Drakios in his office. There are only two people inside as I enter, an older gentleman standing politely off to the side giving me grandfather vibes.

As I approach his desk where a chair has been prepared the older man places a cup of tea in front of me.

"Nicole, this is my Seneschal Fortunus. I do not believe you've met." Lord Drakios says as he sips a cup of tea.

"A pleasure, Princeps. I am Fortunus Alfred Kantor III. Please let me know if I can get you anything." He says with a graceful bow.

"So, Doll appraised me of the situation and our little legal tangle that we have found ourselves in. Just to confirm you have no desire to use your stake to usurp control of the ship?"

"No, the Argent Drake is pleased with you, and my house is myself and my guards at the moment. Not enough to run a ship even if I wanted to. No, I mostly want the alliance and guaranteed residency and to keep most of the House property." I say casually as Lord Drakios peers down at me.

"Very well. I have no problems with that. Fortunus drafted this preliminary document so peruse it and let us know if you have any clarifications or changes to add." He pushes a piece of paper over to my side of the desk and I get to reading.

"A correction here, you can have all the rejuvenat. I am more interested in the Lorelei, and according to Gertrude I likely won't require rejuvenat drugs." I admit demurely.

"Generous of you." Lord Drakios says with a raised eyebrow. I shrug "I've already passed over most of the more contested items to the Mechanicus, like the Bolt STC-fragment, the Omnissian Rod, and the Relic Bolter. I get full ownership of the Knight, guaranteed residence aboard the ship. My current room is fine for now as it's located in a good central location. I keep all my stuff, the automata from House storage and my personal crafting projects.

I keep half of the stasis pods we found in storage, you get one and the Mechanicus are taking the other two. I get full access to the ship and ownership of the Cavalerio lab and storage part of the ship. It's way too much trouble for you to bother trying to change it. The Murder Servitors are for the most part code bound to my House but I can lend them to you and the Mechanicus when needed. I suggest not opening any of them onboard the vessel." I say with a small giggle.

Lord Drakios nods his head "You gave the late Magos' personal belongings to the Mechanicus to be distributed. However there are a large number of contested items." Lord Drakios points to a small section of the document.

"Hmmm, how about an even split? We can draft items?" I suggest.

"Draft?" Lord Drakios doesn't seem to recognize the term.

"Ah, that means take turns picking one each until we get through them?" I explain trying to think of a suitable comparison and come up short.

"That could work. I'll message Doll." Lord Drakios looked off to the side and then nodded "He has agreed to that split. How do we decide who goes first?" He asks me as he glances down at the list.

"Well, usually it rotates whoever goes first in the first round goes second in the second round, then last in the third. The individual that goes second in the first round goes third in the second round, and first in the third. The individual that goes third in the first round goes first in the second round, and second in the third round respectively." I explain drawing a circle in the air with my finger.

"Clever. I will let you go first if you like." I nod and look over the list. The Archeotech Mirror Shield, the Dragon Scale armor, the Archeotech Assault Gauntlet, the Mars-pattern Storm Bolter, the Mars-pattern Thermal Lance, the Spoor Targeter, the Locke-pattern Long-Range Auspex, the grenade bundle with three Haywire and one Kinetic Grenade, the Vault itself.

"The Mars-pattern Thermal Lance." I say making my first selection.

"I will take the Mirror Shield." Lord Drakios looks at me oddly for my first selection but I just smile politely. Master Doll in our little group noosphere call makes his selection"Locke-Pattern Long Range Auspex."

"That concludes the first round. Master Doll picks first."

"The Dragon Scale armor." Is Master Doll's curt reply.

"I will take the Assault Gauntlet then." I say with a small smile.

"Assuming the enhancements come with the item, I will take the Storm Bolter." Lord Drakios says before smiling "I believe I pick again. The Spoor Targeter. Doll messages us"The Grenades." Which leaves me with the Vault itself. I nod not at all upset by the exchange.

"Great! Oh Lord Drakios, I do want to include ownership of the C. A. T. I recovered in our deal." Lord Drakios seems a little caught off guard by the sudden subject change "CAT? Ah, the drone. It's yours." He waved that off as an entirely minor issue.

"The House pact is both offensive and defensive. Your enemies are my Dynasty's enemies, my Dynasty's enemies are your enemies."

"Considering I am the majority of my House, and I plan to remain aboard for the foreseeable future that aligns well." I say with a small smile. Drakios snorts and smirks in amusement.

"True, however I anticipate that your House will eventually expand. Even if it's just through recruitment."

"I suppose this agreement is binding, but for how long?" I ask, tilting my head slightly.

"Permanent until both sides agree to end it in front of a Mechanicus representative." Lord Drakios says with a bemused snort.

"Basically forever then." I admit nodding my head.

"Items strictly belonging to House Cavalerio will be turned over to your possession while contested items uncovered will be split evenly or traded for as necessary." He says as he adjusts another item on the document.

"Agreed! Oh by the way there might be an Ordinatus-minoris hidden somewhere on the ship." I inform Lord Drakios in a friendly tone. Lord Drakios stares at me for a long moment, reaches for his tea but then thinks better of it "Fortunus… I require something… alcoholic."

"Of course, Sir! One moment." The amused old man moves to a cabinet nearby. He deftly picks up a tumbler and pours Lord Drakios a glass of a clear amber liquid adding a small carved block of ice moments later. Lord Drakios takes a nice slow sip and a deep breath.

"If there is such a thing you and Doll can deal with it, I am sure. Any other revelations you wish to inform me of?" Lord Drakios asks in a slightly exasperated tone.

"Some Forge world on this half of the galaxy owes me a Titan. We have the agreement they signed in M31, however our logs don't show where the planet is located, and the name might have changed since then. If the Forge world still stands we can go collect it eventually once we find it. It's in Segmentum Obscurus for certain, however the sector and subsector are harder to pin down. Here is the Scarus Sector, the Calixis Sector, the Askellon Sector, or the Finial Sector.

Narrowing down the Forge worlds is taking some time." I admit with a small shrug.

"What class?" He asks wearily.

"Warlord or Warmaster, I believe." I say with a small apologetic smile.

"I hope we will know well in advance. Housing such a thing will require… adjustments." He says taking another long sip of his beverage.

"It's a long term goal. We need to figure out how to navigate without the Astronomicon first after all. Then we need to figure out which Forge it is and go bother them to collect." I admit softly.

"We can add a clause in stipulating the housing of House Cavalerio personnel and assets." Lord Drakios admitted after considering the issue. I look over the document and it looks concise compared to other legal documents I had as examples. It was practically ironclad.

"I look forward to a fruitful partnership with the Drakios Dynasty." I say giving a nod of approval and pass the document over to Fortunus who quickly prepares the final draft.

"House Drakios thanks you for your services thus far and for those yet to come. I am also looking forward to finally getting to Imperial space so we can make repairs and relax." Lord Darkios says as he finishes his glass. I give him a pitying look which he notices and furrows his brow.

"What?"

"Unfortunately, Lord Drakios, we live in interesting times. There is a name for what we are experiencing: the Noctis Aeterna. Terra and Mars lay on the other side of that great and terrible rift that hangs behind us. Do remind the crew that looking at it without the protections of the ship can be dangerous. We live on the dark side of the galaxy, absent from the light of Astronomicon for the foreseeable future. Cadia has fallen. The Archenemy is on the move." I say as Lord Darkios looks at me oddly.

Fortunus brings the document over and together we check it over once again. The proper changes have been made and I scan it on every spectrum for anything hidden just to get into the habit. Finding nothing Lord Drakios pulls out a seal and stamps the hot wax on the bottom after signing his name. I take the quill and write out my name and titles in a lovely cursive High Gothic. Then I take my digital ring and stamp the Opus Machina into the warm wax.

"Remain vigilant, Lord Drakios, I believe The Argent Drake can help see us through, fate has seen us retrieve the Star Dragons and I cannot help but feel we will need them soon. One object that could aid with our travel issue that you should try to seek out is a Void Abacus. If we find one it may be possible to replicate and it would allow for short jumps to be done safely, perhaps moderate jumps with a skilled Navigator."

I glance around the room, despite everything under the piles of documents it's meticulously organized.

"That… I will keep that in mind Nicole." He tells me as he considers my suggestion.

"Our alliance is sealed. Long live House Cavalerio."

"Long live the Drakios Dynasty." I reply, giving a small bow.

"Praise the Omnissiah."

"Now that we have settled that. I think I have had enough surprises for the day. Please see yourself out Nicole." Lord Drakios says, giving me a polite nod as he grabs at the pile of documents waiting for his attention. I hesitate for a moment before I pivot and walk out of the room.